Berta Nellie Margaretha Sörensen
| Geslacht: | Vrouw | |
| Vader: | Egbertus Jacobus Sörensen | |
| Moeder: | Neeltje Margaretha Weeteling | |
| Geboren: | 28 Feb 1919 | Rotterdam |
| Overleden: | 10 Apr 1999 | |
| Religie: | Ned. Hervormd | |
| Aantekeningen: | Personal Information Last Name: As van First Name: Bertha Nellie Maiden Name: Sorensen Date of Birth: 28/02/1919 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Rescue Place during the war: Westerbork, Drenthe, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Westerbork, Camp, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding Other File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/5058) Commemoration Date of Recognition: 02/12/1991 Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Wall of Honor Ceremony organized by Israeli diplomatic delegation in: The Hague, Netherlands Ceremony held in Yad Vashem: Yes Rescue Story As van, Adrianus & Bertha Nellie (Sorensen) Between September 1942 and the end of the war, Adrianus van As was employed as the head of the Distribution Office of the Westerbork transit camp in Drenthe. In this capacity, Adrianus was responsible for overseeing the food supply in the camp, which was allocated on the basis of ration cards that the inmates received from the German authorities. Thirty Jewish workers assisted Adrianus in this job, and they all enjoyed his protection. Although as the war continued the number of employees Adrianus was responsible for was reduced, he still managed to save hundreds of lives through the administrative stratagems that he devised. Adrianus had access to the population registration office and utilized this privilege to remove the names of his employees and their families from the deportation lists. Over and above this perilous involvement, Adrianus also helped inmates escape by hiding them in his home, the Green House, which was located on the outskirts of Westerbork, and then letting them escape at night, under the cover of darkness. After their escape, Adrianus removed their registration cards from the registration office with the help of his Jewish friends employed there. Throughout the course of the war, Adrianus was given unconditional support in all these activities by his compassionate wife, Bertha, who would often carry secret messages to and from Assen, the capital of the province, on her bicycle. Adrianus carried out his activities so surreptitiously that they were barely perceived. This stealth allowed him to be promoted to the position of head of the registration office towards the end of the war. In this elevated capacity, he was afforded even more freedom. In this position too, he remained beyond suspicion, playing the faceless, diligent bureaucrat. On April 8, 1945, at the very end of the occupation, when Canadian forces were drawing near, Adrianus crossed the lines and made contact with the Allies. He warned them not to attack Westerbork because it was actually a camp for Jews. On April 11, Gemmeker, the commander of Westerbork, handed his pistol over to Schlesinger, the top Jewish official in the camp. In a symbolic gesture, Schlesinger then passed the pistol to Adrianus, signifying that he would now be considered the camp commandant. The following day, the Canadians liberated Westerbork. The inmates threw an orange scarf---the symbol of the Dutch royal family and therefore a token of patriotism---around Adrianus as they carried him triumphantly around the camp on their shoulders. On December 2, 1991, Yad Vashem recognized Adrianus van As and his wife, Bertha Nellie van As-Sorensen, as Righteous Among the Nations |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Adrianus van As | geb. 16 Apr 1919 overl. 1 Jan 2014 |
| Huwelijk: | XXXX | onbekend (tante, geen vrouw toch?) |