Helena Gerarda van der Heul

Geslacht:	Vrouw
Vader:	Bertus van der Heul
Moeder:	Helena Gerarda Ram
Geboren:	8 Juni 1911	Amsterdam
Overleden:	24 Dec 2000	Noordoostpolder
Aantekeningen:	Last Name: Hamersveld van First Name: Helena Gerarda Maiden Name: Heul van der Date of Birth: 08/06/1911 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC Gender: Female Profession: FARMERS WIFE Place during the war: Eemnes, Utrecht, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Eemnes, Utrecht, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/5486) Hendrikus and Helena van Hamersveld were newly wed when Brigadier Jacobs, the head of police in Blaricum North Holland, asked them to hide the Rijxmans, a family of five. The young couple agreed, and from September 1942 until October 1944, when their home became unsafe, Salomon Rijxman (born 1901), his wife Sientje (b. 1903), and their children, Abraham (b. 1926), Elisabeth (b. 1927), and Dora (b. 1930) hid in their home. The van Hamersvelds lived on the grounds of a tree nursery in Eemnes, Utrecht. They occupied half of a small farmhouse that had been divided into two residences. After awhile, Hendrikus and Helena were forced to move to a house on a private road belonging to a farmer and took the Rijxmans with them. On two occasions, the safety of the families was threatened. In September 1943, the house was burgled but the thieves failed to notice the hideout. The second time, the Dutch police were searching for a clandestine slaughterhouse and found the hiding place. However, they did not betray the Jewish fugitives and even helped them to survive the last six months of the war, including the harsh winter of 1944--1945. The Rijxmans paid their hosts some money towards expenses. Mr. Rijxman's brother, Leo, a member of the underground, provided forged food coupons and other documents. The van Hamersvelds' priest and some nuns from the local Roman Catholic community, to which Hendrikus and Helena belonged, created a screen of secrecy around the rescue effort, without which it would have failed. After the war, the Rijxmans successfully located most of their furniture and savings, which had been preserved by non-Jewish friends. On December 22, 1992, Yad Vashem recognized Hendrikus van Hamersveld and his wife, Helena Maria Cunera van Hamersveld-van der Heul, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Hendrikus van Hamersveld	geb. 8 Juli 1906 overl. 24 MEI 1985
Huwelijk:	20 MEI 1941	Blaricum
Kinderen:
	Helena van Hamersveld	geb. 1942 overl. 15 Juli 1942