Christina Gusta Massa

Geslacht: Vrouw
Vader: Gustav Robert Massa
Moeder: Christina Frederika Lether
Geboren: 23 Apr 1909 Den Haag
Overleden: 3 Juni 1982
Religie: Rooms Katholiek
Aantekeningen: Personal Information
Last Name: Barendse
First Name: Christina
Gusta
Maiden Name: Massa
Date of Birth: 23/04/1909
Date of death: 03/06/1982
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Female
Profession: SECRETARY
Rescue
Place during the war: Voorburg, Zuidholland, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Voorburg, Zuidholland, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/583)
Commemoration
Date of Recognition: 03/11/1970
Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Wall of Honor
Ceremony organized by Israeli diplomatic delegation in: The Hague, Netherlands
Rescued Persons
Polak, First name unknown
Ments van, Menat, Max, Mordechai
Levie, Benno
Polak, First name unknown
Fransman, First name unknown
Rescue Story
Barendse, Diederick-Jan & Christina Gusta (Massa)
Benno Levie, a high school student from Zwolle, Overijssel, initially went into hiding with a family in Huizen. In April 1943 his contact took him to Voorburg, South Holland, to the home of Diederick-Jan and Christina Barendse. The Barendses, who had an eight-year-old son, gave Benno a large, well-furnished room for which he paid normal rent. At the end of July 1943, Max van Ments (later Mordechai Menat), a student of physics at the University of Delft, was forced to leave his hideout with the van der Bols* in The Hague. He was brought to the Barendse family home, where he shared a room with Benno from August 8 until December 16, 1943. Diederick-Jan and Christina treated their lodgers exceptionally well. They never took financial advantage of the situation and visited the youngsters in their bedroom at least once a day in order to cheer them up. Diederick-Jan belonged to a small Protestant community and loved to read from the Bible and Christina was the secretary of a well-known Dutch author of children's books. The Barendses built a hiding place between the house and the sand on which it was built. The entrance, which could be locked from inside, was in the master bedroom and it was so well hidden that it was almost impossible to discover. In this hiding area, Max and Benno listened to the news from London several times a day. Mr. and Mrs. Polak also hid with the Barendses for a number of weeks in 1944. L.G. Fransman, a young man, also found refuge in the Barendses home in November and December 1944. Although there was a serious shortage of food Diederick-Jan and Christina never asked for financial compensation. On one occasion, while Fransman was in hiding in the Barendses' home, the Germans searched the house. The Jewish fugitives were hidden under the floor and were forced to crawl for cover under the metal hearth plate because the Germans were shooting above their heads. In mid-December 1943 Benno and Max had to leave the Barendses home immediately. The farewell was highly emotional and after the war contact between them and the Barendses was renewed.
On November 3, 1970, Yad Vashem recognized Diederik-Jan Barendse and his wife, Christina Gusta Barendse-Massa, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Diederich Jan Barendse geb. 9 MEI 1905 overl. 3 Feb 1999
Huwelijk: 19 Apr 1933 Voorburg