The Hiding Place

1942.
Betsie and I took many risks in hiding all of our friends. We had many procedures also. Our resources said that our house wasn't safe enough, so then we made renovations at the beje. I moved to Tante Jans room and that is where we built our secret room. We made a hole in the wall and put accomadations in there. We covered it up with a cabinet and brick wall. We also had a safety drill where we would press a button and a buzzard would sound. We ran this drill over and over so that all of the Jews could improve their time to get up to the secret room. It was very important that they all got up as quickly as possible because it wouldn't be long until the soldiers would search for the room or the people (if they came, that is).

Willem

Willem hid Jews and had them sent to safer places in the country. People showed up at the Beje more often now to see if they could stay with us. I would always tell them that it was too dangerous because we were only three blocks away from the police headquarters, but I had no other place to suggest. It got crowded very fast, so I had to pay my brother Willem another visit.
Willem wanted me to give the Jews ration cards! Jews don't get ration cards! I couldn't beleive my ears! Willem was asking me to forge them...or at least steal some! Oh Willem. I was told that I had to find my own sources because he was a watched man and he would get caught. That was the last thing I wanted- another family member in prison. So I had to find my sources..but who?! Then the name Fred Koornstra came to my mind. He was the man who used to read the electric meter at the Beje; he also had a retarded daughter who attended the "church" that I had been conducting for the feeble-minded for a while now. Fred had a new job working in the Food Office-where the ration books were issued.
Oh my friends, I must go now to my friend Fred Koornstra! I will be back with another post sometime soon!

Secret Room

It was around 8:00 in the evening (the new curfew). There was a woman at the door that wore a fur coat, gloves, and a heavy veil. Her name was Kleerkmaker and she was a Jew. Betsie was making tea and asked Mrs. Kleermaker to join us. At this time the tea wasnt really tea...it was just old leaves that had been crushed and reused so many times that the only thing it really did was color the water a little bit.
Mrs. Kleermaker told us the story of how her husband had been arrested some months before and her son had gone into hiding. Yesterday the S.D. (political police who worked under the Gestapo) had told her to close her family's clothing store. She was afraid to go back to the apartment because it was directly above the shop.
Father told her that anyone who needed a place in his house could have it as long as they had room...We had four empty beds upstairs and she chose. I will have to stop writing for now because I am in shock that Betsie asked Mrs. Kleermaker to help her with the tea...Betsie never needs help...

Peter

The date is May 10th 1942, exactly 2 years after the German Invasion. The occupation started slowly. It gradually got worse and worse. It started off easily, however, there were certain bedtimes. First it was 1o:00pm and everyone had to be cleared from the streets of Haarlem. This wasn't a problem with Father and I... we had our daily walk in the afternoon and we were already finished with our nightly prayers by 9:00.

That very day we went to the Dutch reformed church in Velsen (not far from Haarlem) where Peter (my nephew) had won the post of organist in competition against forty older and more experienced musicians. Peter had a gift... he loved music and was very talented in playing the piano and organ. He can tell you when someone pressed the wrong key in a very intracate piece of music on the piano. It was now illegal to play Holland's national anthem, "Wilhelmus". After the closing prayers were said, Peter played, at full volume, "Wilhelmus"! People slowly started singing. This was a grave mistake on Peter's part. Wednesday morning Peter's little sister Cocky burst into the shop saying, "Opa! (Father) Tante Corrie! They came for Peter! They took him away!"
We asked who, where, and why but she didnt know... it was three days before the family learned that he had been taken to the prison in Amsterdam.
He was in prison for more than 2 weeks.

Invasion

The German invaded Holland on May 10th 1940.We all sat around our radio and listened to the prime Minister's voice, sonorous and soothing. He said that there would be no war and that he had assurances from high sources on both sides about it. Holland's neutrality would be respected. It would be the Great War all over again. He kept going on about how we would be safe but then his voice stopped. He then said that it was wrong to give people hope when there wasn't any. The news came then...there would be war and the Germans will attack, and Holland will fall.

One night I saw brilliant flashes, and then I heard explosions that shook the bed! I went to the window to peek out and the patch of sky above the chimney tops glowed orange-red. I ran to Betsie's room and we said the same thing as we looked at eachother, "War".

FLASHBACK

I never really had any worry of what clothes I wore, but I always had Betsie and Nollie to worry for me. Tante Jans liked to buy us gifts. She buys us hats very often. Tante Jans believed that our wefare in the hearafter depended on how much we could accomplish here on earth. Death she often said, was waiting to snatch her from her work and so she kept her hours of repose as brief and businesslike as possible. Mondays, Father took the train to Amsterdam to get the time from the Naval Observatory so that his watches would always have the same time. I could only go with him in the summer, now, because I have to attend school. Mama used to take baskets of food to the poor.

100th Birthday Party

Hello, I am Corrie ten Boom. I live in Haarlem, Holand. The year is 1938 and today my family is celebrating the 100th anniversary of our family watch shop (run by my father). I am worried about Willem, my brother. He is a preacher and thinks that the Germans are deliberating a large scale move against Jews. Willem didn't try to change people, just to serve them so you can imagine that this news upset him a lot. He actually had built a home for elderly Jews in Hilversum-- for the elderly of all faiths because Willem was against any kind of segregation. Nollie arrived late to the party but she made it. Nollie is my older sister that is married and has a family.We went into a deep conversation about if Germany goes to war. A war could put most of us out of business (in the watch business that is).

Karel

Karel and I met at one of my mother's parties. I can't remember now if the party was a birthday, anniversary, or a new baby. I was only 14 years of age while Karel was the were already among the university men, sprouting scruffy beards and smoking out cigar smoke with their conversation. Nollie was always the one that got all the boys' attention but she didn't seem to notice.

After that day I waited two years to see him again. It was in the winter of 1908 when Nollie and I went to visit Willem at his university. Of course, I knew, Karel was going to be with him. Willem introduced Nollie and me around in his groups of friends. When he got to Karel, Karel interrupted and said, "We know each other already. Do you remember? We met at a party at your home". Later that day he showed great interest in me, which truly suprised me because I was not as pretty as Nollie nor had I ever spoken to him before (exept at the party).

One day Karel showed up at my door and said, " It's a lovely day in the country, Corrie! Come walking!" From then on it seemed taken for granted that Karel and I would go walking every day. I kept hoping that this relationship with Karel would be serious, but I asked Willem about it and he said that Karel's family has known what they have wanted for a long time, and that that it wasn't me.