Adema First name unknown & First name unknown (Surname unknown)

Adema, Mr. & Mrs. Bertha Gutsmuth and her son Curt were German Jewish refugees who had fled to Holland. From October 1941 they moved around the country in search of a safe haven. They moved from Rotterdam to Blaricum when the Germans ordered all German Jews to evacuate the coastal area; from Blaricum they were forced to relocate to a Jewish neighborhood in Amsterdam; and from there Curt went into hiding in Amersfoort while his mother went underground in Amsterdam. Each time the mother and son were forced to move, they were helped by Mies Gomperts* and Piet Brandsen*. In the spring of 1943,Bertha was transferred again. By this stage in the war Bertha was weak and the task of finding a safe shelter was also made more difficult because she spoke very little Dutch. After a long search Brandsen eventually sent Bertha to the Ademas, a family willing to shelter her despite the scarcity of food, coal and other essential provisions. The Adema family lived in the province of Groningen and took excellent care of Bertha, giving her a lovely room where the family nursed her. While in hiding with the Adema family, Bertha was also cared for by the van der Hoeven* family and by Dr. Haring*, who prescribed the necessary food and medicines for Bertha. Bertha remained with the Adema family for two years, and throughout this time there was never a harsh word spoken about her presence there. On October 22, 1980, Yad Vashem recognized Mr. Adema and his wife Mrs. Adema as Righteous Among the Nations.