Vries de Jochum & Tony (Kalsbeek van)

Vries de, Jochum & Tony (van Kalsbeek) When Amalia Sachs’s husband was arrested in the summer of 1942, in the north of Holland, she began looking for a place to hide herself and her five-year-old daughter, Louise. The Resistance decided to hide mother and daughter separately. In October 1942, Amalia had to put her daughter into the hands of a total stranger. Louise was initially moved between various hiding places before arriving at the de Vries family in Hoensbroek, Limburg. The young couple, who had two children of their own, took good care of her until June 1945. The de Vrieses were devout Calvinists in a predominantly Catholic area and a town known for its Resistance activities. The family showered the girl with warmth and helped her through a difficult emotional period. Jochum and Tony de Vries taught Louise at home because it was unsafe for her to leave the house. In times of danger, they took her by bicycle to stay with nearby relatives. After the war, Louise’s mother, who had survived in hiding in Friesland, found her daughter’s name on a Red Cross list. She contacted the de Vries family, who had intended to adopt the girl if no living relatives claimed her. With infinite patience, they persuaded Louise to return to her mother. The two families remained in close touch and the de Vrieses stood by Amalia Sachs and her daughter in the difficult years that followed the war. On May 26, 1981, Yad Vashem recognized Jochum de Vries and his wife, Tony de Vries-van Kalsbeek, as Righteous Among the Nations.