Broeze Cornelis

Broeze, Cornelis Benjamin Before the war, the Religious Palestine Pioneers movement, ran a Hachshara camp in the town of Beverwijk, North Holland. Cornelis Broeze, a vegetable and flower grower from the town, knew many of the pioneers personally---some of them were actually trained in vegetable growing on his farm. In 1942, Channa de Leeuw (later Hammelburg) was wandering from one hiding place to another when she remembered the hospitality that Cornelis had shown her when she was living in the camp. She visited him and he immediately agreed to hide her. She stayed with him for five months. During her stay there, when danger was approaching, Cornelis moved Channa temporarily to his brother’s home. After the war, another Channa de Leeuw (later Asscher) and Channa Weil (later Paltiel) both testified that Cornelis helped many pioneers and hid their valuables, which he promptly returned after the liberation. In her testimony to Yad Vashem, Channa Hammelburg-de Leeuw expressed her gratitude to Cornelis and his wife and praised their courage and the courage of their three daughters, who had shared their food equally with their wards during the war. In 1962, widower Cornelis Broeze visited Israel and was reunited with some of the pioneers whom he helped to rescue. On November 29, 1977, Yad Vashem recognized Cornelis Benjamin Broeze as Righteous Among the Nations.