CORRIE TEN BOOM​

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Corrie ten Boom and her family helped several hundred Jews escape the Nazis during the Holocaust by hiding them and allowing them to stay in their home. Unfortunately, Corrie and her family were caught, arrested, and put into a concentration camp. Corrie survived and began writing her family’s story after her release from the concentration camp.  

 

Corrie was the first woman licensed as a watchmaker in the Netherlands. She worked with her dad in his watchmaking business, where she made connections with resistance members. Corrie also formed a club for teenage girls. The club taught religion and practical skills like sewing and crafting. The Nazis eventually banned her youth club. 

 

Around this time, a Jewish woman came to the ten Boom’s door asking for help. She had heard that the ten Booms had aided other Jewish neighbors, and she was alone. Because of their Christian faith, the whole family welcomed Jews and other resistance members seeking refuge. Corrie also collected ration cards, which allowed non-Jewish citizens to purchase limited amounts of food and supplies, and gave them to any Jew she encountered, aiding in their survival. 

 

In 1944, the entire ten Boom family was arrested. Corrie was sent to a concentration camp that was a women’s labor camp. Corrie and her sister held secret worship services in the evenings. When Corrie was released and returned home, she took in disabled people to help them avoid execution. In 1971, Corrie released her book, “The Hiding Place,” which told her family’s story.