Gisbertus Antonius Johannes van den Bercken

Geslacht: Man
Vader: Johannes Henricus van den Bercken
Moeder: Maria Hubertina Vallen
Geboren: 27 Jan 1915 Grubbenvorst
Overleden: 21 MEI 1975
Beroep: aannemer
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Bercken van den
First Name: Gijsbertus Antonius Johannes
Date of Birth: 27/01/1915
Date of death: 21/05/1975
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Male
Profession: CARPENTER
Place during the war: Grubbenvorst, Limburg, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Grubbenvorst, Limburg, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/11840)
Jutta Levitus (later, Rosen), born in 1928, and her older sister Cecilia (Cilly), both from Frankfurt, were sent to the Netherlands by their parents on a Kindertransport , in order to escape the rage against the Jews in Germany. They were taken to a Jewish orphanage in Amsterdam. However, with the German occupation of the Netherlands in May 1940, anti-Jewish measures were also implemented in the Netherlands, that finally resulted in the deportation of the vast majority of the Jews from the Netherlands as of the summer of 1942.
In the fall of 1942, Cecilia was able to secure a job in the Creche, the temporary holding area for children of the families that were arrested, and as a result had a Sperre, a temporary exemption from deportation. At the beginning of 1943, all children from the orphanage were put on a train to the Westerbork transit camp. Cecilia, was able to get Jutta out and moved her to various Jewish families who was still living in the city with a temporarily exemption stamp. A number of months later Jutta was arrested again, together with the family she was staying, and taken to the Hollandsche Schouwburg, the holding area for arrested Jews, opposite the Creche. Again, Cecilia was able to get her sister out of there and through contacts with underground groups, who would smuggle children out, Jutta was taken to the home of Cornelia Ouweleen* and Maria Hoefsmit*, who hid many on their way to more secure places. In the fall of 1943, Jutta was then taken to Gijsbertus (Bert) and Christina van den Bercken in the village of Grubbenvorst in the southern province of Limburg.
The van den Berckens were in their early thirties, and had two young children. Bert was a carpenter, and Christina took care of the children and the home. Jutta, now going by the name Marijke, adapted quickly to her new surroundings as a big sister to the van den Bercken children. In the fall of 1944, a third child was born to the van den Berckens, yet Jutta was allowed to stay on. She felt loved and secure, helping out as much as she could. Jutta stayed indoors at all times. A special hiding area was prepared in one of the closets in the house, in case of house searches. At one point during her stay, German soldiers were billeted in the annex behind the house.
Jutta stayed with the van den Berckens until the liberation of the area in November 1944. She stayed on until the northern part of the country was also liberated in May 1945 At that point, her sister Cecilia, who had survived as well, found her and picked her up.
Jutta stayed in touch with the van den Berckens even after both sisters had immigrated to Israel.
On April 14, 2010, Yad Vashem recognized Gijsbertus A.J. van den Bercken and Christina M.A. van den Bercken-Seegers as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Christina Maria Antonia Seegers geb. 3 Jan 1913 overl. 6 MEI 1974
Huwelijk: 14 OKT 1940 Stevensweert