Koning Nicolaas & Annigje (Bot)

Koning, Nicolaas & Annigje (Bot) Thirteen refugees attempting to cross the English Channel were among the first Jews whom Nicolaas and Annigje Koning helped in the early days of the German occupation. After four nights at the Konings’ home in Santpoort, North Holland, the refugees managed to obtain a boat in the nearby harbor of IJmuiden. In the fall of 1942, Philip Gans arrived at the Konings’ house, having fled his former hiding place. His brother Benjamin was already staying with the couple. The two boys were lovingly cared for by Nicolaas and Annigje and their two daughters, Nel and Adrie, and their boyfriends. On one occasion, in January 1943, Annigje asked Philip to model a shirt she was supposedly making for her husband. He was moved to discover that the shirt was in fact a present for his 15th birthday. In May 1943, the brothers’ family insisted that Philip and Benjamin join them at their hiding place in Baarn, Utrecht. Subsequently, the entire Gans family, except for Philip, was deported and murdered in the death camps. Among the other Jews hidden by the Konings were Mrs. Boekdrukker, her daughter Josefien, and Ies de Vries. The Germans raided the house several times, but the refugees were always out or well hidden. During the war, Annigje also accompanied Jews on the train or by bicycle to hiding places across the country. She brought Mr. and Mrs. Meijer from Santpoort to Laren. Peter van den Berg and the Jonker family from Santpoort helped the Konings with their underground activities. On September 7, 1997, Yad Vashem recognized Nicolaas Koning and his wife, Annigje Koning-Bot, as Righteous Among the Nations.