Betty Goudsmit-Oudkerk (2 April 1924 – 14 June 2020) was a Dutch resistance member. Oudkerk was the last living staff member of the illustrious nursery opposite the ''

Hollandsche Schouwburg Hollandsche Schouwburg (; English: Hollandic Theatre) is a museum in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. History Originally, the Hollandsche Schouwburg was a Dutch theatre, but it was deemed a Jewish theatre in 1941 by Nazi occupiers, and it was later ...

'' located at the ''Plantage Middenlaan'' in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. There, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the personnel saved many Jewish children; Goudsmit-Oudkerk was 17 years old at that time. She didn't talk about it, but due to the insistence of her children, she had her story written down in 2016 in the book ''Betty, een Joods kinderverzorgster in verzet'' (literally translated: Betty, a Jewish childcare worker in resistance). Goudsmit-Oudkerk explained how Jewish parents were at the

before they were deported. The Germans did not want to be disturbed by the sound of children, so they were brought to Betty and her colleagues, who saved around 600 children. The first copy of her book was handed over to

Eberhard van der Laan Eberhard Edzard van der Laan (; 28 June 1955 – 5 October 2017) was a Dutch politician who served as Minister for Housing, Communities and Integration from 2008 to 2010 and Mayor of Amsterdam from 2010 until his death in 2017. He was a member ...

, then mayor of Amsterdam in 2016. The same year, Goudsmit-Oudkerk received a

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peopl ...

-certificate. This international award, entitled "Jews Rescued Jews", is awarded to Jewish resistance heroes during the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

. Betty was present at many meetings in the ''Joods Cultureel Kwartier'', at the opening of the ''Nationaal Holocaust Museum'', and at lectures and commemorations in the Hollandsche Schouwburg. In 2019 Betty Goudsmit-Oudkerk laid a wreath during the

Remembrance of the Dead Remembrance of the Dead ( nl, Dodenherdenking) is held annually on May 4 in the Netherlands. It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since ...

Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. Location and description ...

. She was born in Amsterdam, the daughter of Henriette Hamburger-Monnickendam and Leendert Oudkerk. During the war, Goudsmit-Oudkerk lost her mother, grandmother and two brothers. After the war she married Bram Goudsmit and had five children with him. Goudsmit-Oudkerk died on 14 June 2020, aged 96.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goudsmit-Oudkerk, Betty Resistance members from Amsterdam Jewish resistance members during the Holocaust Dutch Jews 1924 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Dutch women