Betsie ten Boom
| Betsie ten Boom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Elisabeth ten Boom 19 August 1885 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Died |
16 December 1944 Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, Germany |
Cause of death | Pernicious anemia |
Resting place | Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, Germany |
| Residence | Haarlem |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Other names | Know by family as Bep, Beppie |
| Education | Through local secondary school |
| Occupation | Bookkeeper, homemaker |
| Employer | Father, Casper ten Boom |
| Known for | Holocaust, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom |
| Home town | Amsterdam |
| Religion | Dutch Calvinist Christian |
| Parents | Casper ten Boom and Cornelia ten Boom |
| Website | |
| ten Boom Museum | |
Elisabeth ten Boom (1885-1944) was one of the leading characters in The Hiding Place, a book written by her sister Corrie ten Boom about the family's experiences during World War II. Nicknamed Betsie, she suffered with pernicious anemia from her birth.[1] The oldest of five ten Boom children, she did not leave the family and marry, but remained at home until World War II.[2]
Congenital pernicious anemia
Ten Boom suffered with a special case of pernicious anemia that started in her early childhood, called congenital (or juvenile) pernicious anemia. This case is believed to be caused by a malfunction of the gastric juices of intrinsic factor during the nine weeks before birth. Her illness prevented her from bearing children, so she chose, at a young age, not to marry.[3]
Career and education
Ten Boom was educated in the local primary and secondary school until the age of 15. She remained at home to work with her father in his watchshop where she served as the bookkeeper. She also cooked for their family.
Her younger sister Corrie later took over the bookkeeping role when ten Boom caught influenza. Ten Boom then began housekeeping and continued to do so until her Nazi detention.
1940-1944
The ten Boom family belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church and believed strongly in the equality of all people before God. One of the brothers was a minister and the sisters had been active in charitable work before the war. During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the family began to hide numerous Jews and resisters in their home, and built a secret room to protect them.
In 1944, the family and other people at the house, about 30 in all, were arrested for their resistance activities and taken to Scheveningen prison. The six Jews in hiding at the house were not discovered and survived, with the help of other Resistance workers. The father Casper ten Boom became ill and died 10 days later at the prison. A brother, sister and nephew were released.
After some time, Betsie Ten-Boom and her sister Corrie were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Ten Boom's strong faith in God kept her from depression throughout her life and especially within the camps. Corrie told of how ten Boom reached out to help others and helped Corrie to see the best in everything, no matter what the circumstance.
Before her death, Betsie Ten-Boom experienced three visions from God about what she and Corrie were to do after their release. She believed they would be released by the New Year. Her first vision was of a house for former prisoners. The second was to own a concentration camp where they could teach Germans to learn to love again. The third was that she and Corrie would travel the world telling what they had learned of God while in the camps. Betsie ten Boom died in Ravensbruck on 16 December 1944, at the age of 59. Her sister Corrie was released due to a clerical error, and went on to set up the projects that Betsie had seen in her visions; as well as travelling the world to speak about her faith.
Ten Boom and father Casper were honored by the State of Israel in 2008 as Righteous Among the Nations. Her sister Corrie had been honored before.
Bibliography
- Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, The Hiding Place, Guideposts Associates, 1971. ISBN 0-340-17930-9, ISBN 0-340-20845-7
- Corrie ten Boom, In My Father's House, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, 1976. ISBN 978-0-340-86375-6
References
- ↑ "The Hiding Place". Bantam Books, New York City: 1984.
- ↑ "In My Father's House". Hodder & Stoughton Religious, London, England: 1976.
- ↑ "The Hiding Place". Bantam Books, New York City: 1984.
Corrie ten Boom, Betty Veldhuvzen van Zanten (2008). Wat Vrienden Zeggen Over Corrie 1. http://www.youtube.com: tantecorrietenboom.