Hofstede Philipus & Dieuwke (Claus)

Hofstede, Philipus & Dieuwke (Claus) Philipus (Philip) and Dieuwke Hofstede lived in Geleen, Limburg, near the German border. Philip was a contact man for the NV* and in this capacity found hideouts for many Jewish children in the area. If for any reason a child had to be relocated, it was Philip’s job to arrange it. On one occasion, he had to accompany a sick two-year-old to his own home at night after the curfew. The child remained there for two weeks, during which time his own children became sick as well. A significant number of the 100 children whom Philip helped to rescue spent some time in his home before being transferred to permanent hiding places. Philip was officially employed at the Erk Insurance Company. However, during the war, his activities rescuing Jewish children filled most of the hours of the day. His boss was aware of Philip’s illegal activities but nevertheless continued paying Philip a full salary and he even agreed to hide a Jewish child for about a week. Betty Koppels (later Keizer) and Henny Kalkstein (later Reemy) arrived at the Hofstedes’ home at the ages of five and six, respectively, in 1943. The Hofstedes told their suspicious neighbors that the girls were refugees from the bombardment of Rotterdam. One month before the liberation, in August 1944, Philip was forced to move the girls to a temporary shelter in the local church, in a specially constructed hiding place behind a cupboard. After awhile, they were relocated to families in the nearby village of Echt. When the house searches in Geleen ended, Betty remained in Echt but Henny returned to the Hofstedes until her parents returned from Bergen-Belsen. The Hofstedes helped Jews because of their humanitarian principles and their impulse to assist people. On June 15, 1965, Yad Vashem recognized Philipus Hofstede and his wife, Dieuwke Hofstede-Claus, as Righteous Among the Nations.