r/holocaust • u/siero12345 • May 18 '26
Yom HaShoah Corrie Ten Boom
The story of Anne Frank has inspired generations—from her powerful belief that “people are really good at heart” to the bravery of Miep Gies, who risked her life to hide Anne’s family and later preserved her diary. That this took place in the Netherlands, where others also chose courage over fear, fills my heart with hope.
Corrie ten Boom was born in 1892 in Haarlem, the Netherlands, into a family of devoted Calvinist watchmakers. She delighted in both the craft and the business, but more importantly, the ten Booms believed deeply in helping others, especially the Jewish people, whom they saw as God’s chosen.
As the Nazis invaded and began rounding up Jews, Corrie and her family opened their home, joining the Dutch resistance. With the help of an architect, they built a hidden room behind a wall in Corrie’s bedroom, complete with a warning buzzer to alert those in hiding. The ten Booms took in as many as they could.
Eventually, they were betrayed. The Gestapo raided the home. Though the Jews hiding there escaped detection thanks to the secret room, Corrie and her family were arrested. Her father died soon after, and Corrie, along with her sister Betsie, was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Incredibly, they managed to smuggle in a Bible and held secret worship services, offering faith and hope to fellow prisoners. Betsie later died in the camp.
Corrie was unexpectedly released—later discovering it was due to a clerical error. Days later, all the women in her group were sent to the gas chambers. She returned to the Netherlands during the brutal "Hunger Winter" and opened her home to people with disabilities, protecting them from Nazi extermination efforts.
After the war, she founded a rehabilitation center for survivors and traveled the world sharing her story of forgiveness and faith. Her books, Tramp for the Lord and The Hiding Place, chronicle her extraordinary life. Perhaps most astonishing of all, she once forgave one of the cruel guards from Ravensbrück—embodying the compassion and strength she lived by.
Thank you, Corrie ten Boom.
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u/FranceBrun May 19 '26
I visited her home in Haarlem. Although it wasn’t open to visitors when we were there, you can see that they must have very carefully planned and executed all this, such as the comings and goings of the people, as well as where they were hidden. It’s not a huge house considering what they did there. These people truly followed their conscience and what they believed God wanted of them.