Corrie ten Boom

Corrie ten Boom, born on April 15, 1892, was the youngest child of Casper ten Boom and Cornelia Johanna Arnolda. She was named after her mother and had three older siblings: Betsie, Willem, and Nollie. The Ten Boom family were devout Christians who were actively engaged in social work in their hometown of Haarlem, Netherlands.

During the Nazi occupation, the Ten Boom family chose to act on their faith through peaceful resistance to the Nazis. They provided shelter, food, and transportation to Jews and underground members hunted by the Gestapo, helping to save the lives of around 800 Jews. Unfortunately, on February 28, 1944, they were betrayed and Corrie, along with several relatives, were arrested. Four Jews and two underground workers who were in the house at the time of the arrest managed to escape and were extracted by the underground 47 hours later. The Ten Boom family members were separated and transferred to concentration camps, where Casper, Betsie, and one grandchild, Kik, perished. Corrie was released in December 1944.

Corrie ten Boom's acts of heroism and sacrifice became the foundation for her global writing and speaking career, which began after her release. She received numerous awards for her writing and speaking, including being honored by the State of Israel for her work in aid of the Jewish people. She was invited to plant a tree in the famous Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, near Jerusalem. Additionally, she was knighted by the Queen of the Netherlands in recognition of her work during the war. A museum in the Dutch city of Haarlem is dedicated to her and her family, commemorating their bravery and selflessness. Corrie's most famous book, "The Hiding Place," describes the ordeal she and her family went through during World War II.