Corrie ten Boom

Cornelia "Corrie" ten Boom (Amsterdam, 15 April 1892 Placentia, California, 15 April 1983) was a D tc! C!ristian w!o, alon" wit! !er fat!er and ot!er famil# mem$ers, !elped man# %ews escape t!e &a'i (oloca st d rin" )orld )ar ** and was imprisoned for it+ (er most famo s $oo,, The Hiding Place, descri$es t!e ordeal+

Early life
Corrie ten -oom "rew p in (aarlem in Amsterdam and was t!e #o n"est of fo r c!ildren, $orn to parents Casper (185919..) and Cornelia (died 1921 of a cere$ral !aemorr!a"e)+ /!e !ad two ot!er sisters, -etsie ten -oom (died 19.. in t!e 0a1ens$r2c, deat! camp) and &ollie (died in 1953)+ (er $rot!er, )illem ten -oom, was $orn in 1883 and died in 19.4 of spinal t $erc losis+ Corrie5s t!ree maternal a nts also li1ed wit! !er famil#+ -ep died in t!e earl# 1926s, of t $erc losis7 %ans died in t!e mid81926s, of dia$etes7 and Anna, w!o too, care of t!e c!ildren after t!e deat! of t!eir mot!er, was t!e last to die, in t!e earl# 1936s+ Corrie5s fat!er wor,ed as a watc!ma,er7 a profession t!at s!e followed in $ecomin" t!e first licensed female watc!ma,er in t!e &et!erlands in 192.+ Corrie and !er sister -etsie ne1er married and !ad li1ed t!eir entire li1es ( ntil t!eir arrest) in t!eir c!ild!ood !ome in (aarlem+ Corrie ten -oom also ran a c! rc! for people wit! mental disa$ilities, raised foster c!ildren in t!eir !ome, and did ot!er c!arita$le wor,s+

World War II
*n 19.6, t!e &a'is in1aded t!e &et!erlands+ Amon" t!eir restrictions was $annin" a cl $ w!ic! ten -oom !ad r n for #o n" "irls+91:9page needed: *n ;a# 19.2 a well8dressed woman came to t!e ten -oom door wit! a s itcase in !and+ /!e told t!e ten -ooms t!at s!e was a %ew and t!at !er ! s$and !ad $een arrested se1eral mont!s $efore and !er son !ad "one into !idin"+ As <cc pation a t!orities !ad recentl# 1isited !er, s!e was afraid to ret rn !ome+ (a1in" !eard t!at t!e ten -ooms !ad !elped t!eir %ewis! nei"!$ors, t!e )eils, s!e as,ed if s!e mi"!t sta# wit! t!e famil#+ =en -oom5s fat!er readil# a"reed+ A de1oted reader of t!e <ld =estament, Casper $elie1ed %ews were t!e 5c!osen people5, and !e told t!e woman, "*n t!is !o se!old, >od5s people are alwa#s welcome+"91:9page needed: =!e famil# t!en $ecame 1er# acti1e in t!e D tc! nder"ro nd !idin" ref "ees =!e# pro1ided ,os!er food for t!e %ewis! ref "ees w!o sta#ed wit! t!em and !onored t!e %ewis! /a$$at!+92: =! s t!e ten -ooms $e"an "t!e !idin" place", or "de sc! ilplaats", as it was ,nown in D tc! (also ,nown as "de -?@?", prono nced in D tc! as 5$a#a#5, an a$$re1iation of t!e name of t!e street t!e !o se was in, t!e -artel@orisstraat)+ Corrie ten -oom and sister -etsie $e"an ta,in" in ref "eesA$ot! %ews and ot!ers w!o were mem$ers of t!e resistance mo1ement, $ein" so "!t $# t!e >estapo and its D tc! co nterpart+ )!ile t!e# !ad eBtra rooms in t!e !o se, food was scarce

for e1er#one, d e to wartime s!orta"es+ C1er# non8%ewis! D tc! person !ad recei1ed a ration card, w!ic! was reD ired to o$tain wee,l# co pons to $ # food+ =!an,s to !er c!arita$le wor,, ten -oom ,new man# people in (aarlem and remem$ered a co ple w!o !ad a disa$led da "!ter+ =!e fat!er was a ci1il ser1ant, w!o $# t!en was in c!ar"e of t!e local ration8card office+ /!e went to !is !o se one e1enin"7 w!en !e as,ed !ow man# ration cards s!e needed, "* opened m# mo t! to sa#, 5Ei1e,5" ten -oom wrote in The Hiding Place+ "- t t!e n m$er t!at neBpectedl# and astonis!in"l# came o t instead wasF 5<ne ! ndred+5"91:9page needed: (e "a1e t!em to !er, and s!e pro1ided cards to e1er# %ew w!om s!e met+

Secret room

=!e (idin" Place in Corrie ten -oom5s closet+ -eca se of t!e n m$er of people sin" t!eir !o se, t!e famil# $ ilt a secret room, in case a raid too, place+ =!e# decided to $ ild it in ten -oom5s $edroom7 as it was in t!e !i"!est part of t!e !o se, people tr#in" to !ide wo ld !a1e t!e most time to a1oid detection (as a searc! wo ld start on t!e "ro nd floor)+ A mem$er of t!e D tc! resistance desi"ned t!e !idden room $e!ind a false wall+ >rad all#, famil# and s pporters $ro "!t $ ildin" s pplies into t!e !o se, !idin" t!em in $riefcases and rolled8 p newspapers+ )!en finis!ed, t!e secret room was a$o t 36 inc!es (34 cm) deep, t!e si'e of a medi m wardro$e+ A 1entilation s#stem allowed for $reat!in"+ =o enter t!e secret room, a person !ad to open a slidin" panel in t!e plastered $ric, wall nder a $ottom $oo,s!elf and crawl in on !ands and ,nees+ *n addition, t!e famil# installed an electric $ ''er for warnin" in a raid+ )!en t!e &a'is raided t!e ten -oom !o se in 19.., siB people were sin" t!e !idin" place to e1ade detection+

Arrest, detention, and release

<n 28 Ee$r ar# 19.., a D tc! informant told t!e &a'is of t!e wor, t!e ten -ooms were doin", and t!e &a'is arrested t!e entire ten -oom famil# at aro nd 12F36 p+m+ =!e famil# was sent first to /c!e1enin"en prison, w!ere t!eir elderl# fat!er died ten da#s after !is arrest+ )!ile t!ere, ten -oom5s sister &ollie, $rot!er )illem, and nep!ew Peter were all released+ Gater, ten -oom and sister -etsie were sent to t!e H "!t political concentration camp, and finall# to t!e 0a1ens$r2c, concentration camp in >erman#+ -etsie died t!ere on Decem$er 14, 19..+ -efore s!e died, s!e told ten -oom, "=!ere is no pit so deep t!at (e 9>od: is not deeper still+"91:9page needed: Corrie ten -oom was released on Decem$er 28, 19..+ *n t!e mo1ie The Hiding Place, s!e narrates t!e section on !er release from camp, sa#in" t!at s!e later learned t!at !er release !ad $een a clerical error+ /!e said, ">od does not !a1e pro$lemsAonl# plans+" =!e %ews w!om t!e ten -ooms !ad $een !idin" at t!e time of t!eir arrests remained ndisco1ered and all $ t one, an old woman named ;ar#, s r1i1ed+

Life after the war

After t!e war, ten -oom ret rned to =!e &et!erlands to set p a re!a$ilitation center+ =!e ref "e !o ses consisted of concentration camp s r1i1ors and s!eltered t!e @o$less D tc! w!o pre1io sl# colla$orated wit! >ermans d rin" t!e occ pation+ /!e ret rned to >erman# in 19.4, and tra1eled t!e world as a p $lic spea,er, appearin" in o1er siBt# co ntries, d rin" w!ic! time s!e wrote man# $oo,s+ =en -oom told t!e stor# of !er famil# and t!eir wor, d rin" )orld )ar ** in !er $est sellin" $oo,, The Hiding Place (1931), w!ic! was made into a film $# )orld )ide Pict res in 1935 starrin" %eannette Clift as ten -oom and % lie (arris as ten -oom5s sister -etsie+ *n 1933, ten -oom, t!en 85 #ears old, mo1ed to Placentia, California+ *n 1938, s!e s ffered two stro,es, t!e first renderin" !er na$le to spea,, and t!e second res ltin" in paral#sis+ /!e did not re"ain f nction for t!e remainin" fi1e #ears of !er life, d#in" on !er 91st $irt!da# (15 April 1983) followin" a t!ird stro,e+

Honors

*srael !onored ten -oom $# namin" !er 0i"!teo s Amon" t!e &ations+ =en -oom was ,ni"!ted $# t!e I een of t!e &et!erlands in reco"nition of !er wor, d rin" t!e war+ =!e =en -oom ; se m in (aarlem is dedicated to !er and !er famil# for t!eir wor,+ =!e Jin"5s Colle"e in &ew Kor, Cit# named a new women5s !o se in !er !onor+

Religious views

(er teac!in" foc sed on t!e C!ristian >ospel, wit! emp!asis on for"i1eness+ *n !er $oo, Tramp for the Lord (193.), s!e tells t!e stor# of an enco nter w!ile s!e was teac!in" in >erman# in 19.3+ /!e was approac!ed $# a former 0a1ens$r2c, camp " ard, w!o !ad $een ,nown as one of t!e cr elest+ /!e was rel ctant to for"i1e !im, $ t pra#ed t!at s!e wo ld $e a$le to+ =en -oom wroteF Eor a lon" moment we "rasped eac! ot!er5s !ands, t!e former " ard and t!e former prisoner+ * !ad ne1er ,nown >od5s lo1e so intensel# as * did t!en+ /!e also wrote (in t!e same passa"e) t!at in !er post8war eBperience wit! ot!er 1ictims of &a'i $r talit#, it was t!ose w!o were a$le to for"i1e w!o were $est a$le to re$ ild t!eir li1es+ /!e appeared on man# C!ristian tele1ision pro"rams disc ssin" !er ordeal d rin" t!e (oloca st and t!e concepts of for"i1eness and >od5s lo1e+ /!e re@ected t!e doctrine t!at some asserted, of Pre8=ri$ lation 0apt re, and wrote t!at it was wit!o t -i$lical fo ndation+ /!e $elie1ed t!at s c! a doctrine left t!e C!ristian C! rc! ill8 prepared in times of "reat persec tion, s c! as in C!ina nder ;ao Ledon"+ /!e often D oted a fa1orite sa#in" of !er sisterF "=!ere is no pit so deep t!at (e 9>od: is not deeper still+"