Johanna Alberdina Grootveld
| Geslacht: | Vrouw | |
| Vader: | Albertus Arie Grootveld | |
| Moeder: | Johanna Wilhelmina Kruiniger | |
| Geboren: | 9 Juli 1887 | Amsterdam |
| Religie: | Ned. Hervormd | |
| Beroep: | dienstbode | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Grootveld First Name: Johanna Alberdina Date of Birth: 09/07/1887 Date of death: 31/03/1966 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Profession: NURSE Place during the war: Soest, Utrecht, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Soest, Utrecht, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/1230) The nurse and underground activist Cornelia DePree-Horburger* was a well-known figure among Jews looking for hiding places. Cornelia would use her own money to rent rooms for Jews to hide in without any thought of profit. She had made contact with Johanna Grootveld, who lived in Soest, Utrecht, and made a living from her guesthouse, where Cornelia too rented a room. When the order banning the renting of rooms to Jews was issued, Johanna decided to close the place to the general public and hide Jews for a reasonable sum. Eleven Jews hid there from February 16, 1943, until the liberation on May 5, 1945. The mayor and the Dutch police were aware of the situation and kept quiet, warning the two women in advance when a search was expected so that the Jews could conceal themselves in hiding places in and around the house, in the garden and the yard. Among those they hid were Jaap Polak, his wife, son and daughter-in-law, her sister and her husband, the three Heymans sisters, and another woman. Johanna would not have been able to perform her heroic deeds successfully without Cornelia, who also helped obtain food for all the guests. The two women faced the daily risk of being betrayed and discovered. After the war, Jaap Polak kept in close touch with Johanna. Their friendship lasted many years and he was there beside her when she passed away. On March 9, 1978, Yad Vashem recognized Johanna Alberdina Grootveld as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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