Beumer Reinier & Sietje (Kooten van)

Beumer, Reinier Beumer, Sietje (van Kooten) Rivka Kahana (née Weissberg) was born in March 1943, during the German occupation of the Netherlands. Her Jewish parents were aware of the danger they were in, but when, even before Rivka was born, Sietje Beumer (née van Kooten, b. 1912) offered to help to hide the baby, they could not accept the idea of being separated from their newborn. About six weeks after Rivka’s birth, however, they understood that they had no choice, if they wanted their daughter to survive, and they brought Rivka to Jet de Jong-Derlage (recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations in 1983). Rivka was hidden there for about two-and-a-half years. Sietje and Reinier Beumer (b. 1912 and 1913, respectively) had two children: Joost and Marianne. The family lived in Arnhem. Both Reinier and Sietje were active in the Dutch resistance. They helped several Jews find safe hiding places, transferred them to new addresses, and took care of their well-being and basic necessities such as food coupons. One of those the Beumers helped was Lies Bollegraf (née Sander, b. 1925). Lies stayed in various hiding places organized by Reinier Beumer. But when a razzia (roundup of Jews) took place at her hiding address in Baarn, Lies fled to the Beumers’ home. She was welcomed warmly, even though the Beumers were already hiding a Jewish girl. That girl later went to another hiding place. After about six months the Beumers were warned by someone that there was danger of betrayal, and Lies was quickly transferred to another hiding place. When Jet de Jong-Derlage and baby Rivka were also in danger of betrayal, Sietje was on vacation in Beekbergen. She invited Jet and Rivka to stay with her there, and they remained with her until the situation improved. Another person who found a hiding place with the Beumer family was Yehoshua Gabel (b. 1935). He stayed with the Beumers for about three weeks in May 1943. He was betrayed and had to leave the Beumers to be hidden elsewhere. Through their ceaseless effort, risking their own lives, Reinier and Sietje Beumer saved the lives of Lies Bollegraf and Yehoshua Gabel, and they played an important role in the rescue of baby Rivka Kahana as well. After the war the rescuers and those they saved and their descendants remained in warm contact. On Sietje’s ninetieth birthday, the rescued families planted eighteen trees in the Jerusalem Forest to honor Reinier and Sietje Beumer. On November 22, 2016, Yad Vashem recognized Reinier and Sietje (van Kooten) Beumer as Righteous Among the Nations.