Mina Bent
| Geslacht: | Vrouw | |
| Vader: | Gerhard Christiaan Bent | |
| Moeder: | Janna Christina te Selle | |
| Aantekeningen: | Bent Mina Personal Information Last Name: Bent First Name: Mina Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Place during the war: Winterswijk, Gelderland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Winterswijk, Gelderland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/1529) Commemoration Date of Recognition: 11/01/1979 Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Wall of Honor Ceremony organized by Israeli diplomatic delegation in: The Hague, Netherlands Rescued Persons van Gelder, Weiler, Sientje van Gelder, Engelina Rescue Story Bent, Gerhard Christiaan & Mina On October 8, 1941, a razzia took place in Winterswijk, Gelderland, a town where the NSB Party had a strong following. The house of Aaron van Gelder, a cattle breeder, was completely surrounded by the Gestapo but he managed to escape and find shelter with Hans Wiggers*, a farmer. After a few hours Wiggers asked the Stortelers* family to hide Aaron. They agreed and Aaron remained in their home until the end of the war. Meanwhile, Aarons wife, Sientje van Gelder-Weiler, stayed in her house with their two children, a 13-year-old daughter, Engelina, and a son, Joseph, aged six. On September 17, 1942, they were warned that another razzia was imminent and that the Gestapo planned to arrest them, and so Aaron turned to his good friend Gerhard Bent, the deputy mayor of Winterswijk, for assistance. Gerhard, who was living with his wife and daughter on a little farm just outside Winterswijk, agreed to hide the family in his home. Initially, Gerhard put his workroom at the disposal of the van Gelders, but this arrangement did not seem like a safe long-term solution. The van Gelders son, Joseph, was moved into a shelter with his father, and Gerhard moved the Van Gelder women into his own room. Sientje van Gelder and her daughter stayed with the Bents until the end of the war. They were well taken care of by the Bents, who made sure that the fugitives had all the necessary provisions. Throughout their entire time in hiding, Gerhard kept the presence of the two women in his home an absolute secret, even from members of his own family. After the war, the van Gelders and the Bents remained very close friends. Throughout the war, Gerhard was very active in fighting the Germans and never accepted any monetary rewards. In the early seventies, Queen Juliana awarded him with a Knighthood in the Order of Orange-Nassau. On January 11, 1979, Yad Vashem recognized Gerhard Christiaan Bent, and his daughter Mina Bent as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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