Terpstra Henk & Marie

Terpstra, Henk & Marie In 1938, the Steinberg family arrived in the Netherlands from Germany and settled in Amsterdam. In 1942, during one of the razzias, the family was rounded up and taken to the Hollandsche Schouwburg, from where they were deported to a concentration camp. Eight-year-old Gitta Steinberg managed to avoid this fate; she was taken to the Joodsche Invalide, from where underground couriers whisked her away into hiding. After staying at a number of addresses, she was taken to the home of a reverend in Ermelo, Gelderland, where she stayed until he was betrayed, arrested, and later shot. Gitta was fortunate to escape and was taken to Henk and Marie Terpstra, a childless couple in their fifties, also from Ermelo. Henk made a modest income as a greengrocer. He and his wife told their neighbors that Gitta was a distant relative called Rita Steenman, a story that was generally accepted because Marie and Gitta both had red hair. The child felt loved and protected in the Terpstras’ home. Before long, she even began to attend school. The Terpstras were devout Christians, but they never forced Gitta to adhere to their beliefs. Henk was active in the local underground, where he occasionally obtained food stamps. He was fully aware of the personal risks that he was taking but was driven by his Christian spirit and human compassion to unhesitatingly help persecuted people. After the war, the Terpstras, who had become very close to Gitta, referred her to the Jewish orphanage in Hilversum, where she was later discovered by some surviving relatives. Gitta maintained a warm relationship with Henk and Marie even after she immigrated to Israel. On February 13, 1968, Yad Vashem recognized Henk Terpstra and his wife, Marie Terpstra, as Righteous Among the Nations.