Spek van der Nel

Spek van der, Nel In 1939, shortly before the beginning of the war, Rosa Klausner escaped Germany with her children, Harry and Ruth. Somehow she lost touch with her husband. She became ill and desperate and her children were wandering from one place to another. When hospitalized, Rosa got in touch with Nel van der Spek, a teacher and head of the local Resistance. Nel supported Rosa morally and encouraged her to hide, finding places for Rosa and her children. Rosa hid with Petronella (Nel) Ketel* in the city of Utrecht. Nel van der Spek and her friend Nel Ketel cooperated but operated independently. From March 1943, Nel van der Spek took care of the Klausner children and brought them to the Haitsma* family in Zeist, Utrecht. She was concerned that Harry and Ruth, who could not attend school, should at least study at home. Therefore, she sent her sister to the Haitzmas to teach the children. Nel helped all her wards with food cards and all kinds of assistance, psychological and material. Testimonies collected by Yad Vashem mention more than 16 names of people who were rescued in some way thanks to Nel van der Spek’s Resistance activities, but in fact there were more than 100. On May 30, 1976, Yad Vashem recognized Nel van der Spek as Righteous Among the Nations.