Greutink Geertruida (Hahn)

Greutink, Geertruida (Hahn) When the Germans broke into the Behr family’s home in the city of Groningen in 1942, entering through the windows, they nearly captured Mr. and Mrs. Behr, their two daughters, and their nine-year-old son, Abraham. Fortunately, the family managed to flee to a neighbor, who immediately escorted them to a safe address. In November of that year, Geertruida Hahn and her fiancé picked up Abraham and took him to the village of Vries in Drenthe. They traveled all through the night, by bike, to get to the village, where Geertruida’s father owned a piano workshop. Geertruida obtained false identity papers for Abraham and changed his name to Jan Bierta. Each time Abraham’s hideout became unsafe, about 15 times in the three-month period preceeding Abraham’s arrival at the Oosterhoff family* in early 1944, it was Geertruida who escorted him to a new shelter. Geertruida had also arranged a hiding place for Abraham’s mother in southern Holland and, on at least two occasions, facilitated a meeting between mother and son, endangering her life in doing so. When actual visits became impossible, Geertruida made sure that some form of contact was maintained between the two. In addition to her concerted effort to ensure Abraham’s continued welfare, Geertruida was also involved in finding hiding places for other Jews. Along with her fiancé, who was eventually caught and executed, Geertruida was also involved in illegal underground activities. She believed that it was her duty to assist persecuted people, without ever benefiting financially from her actions. On January 30, 1979, Yad Vashem recognized Geertruida Greutink-Hahn as Righteous Among the Nations.