Karthaus Catharina (Halteren van)

Karthaus, Catharina Joanna Rosa (van Halteren) During the summer of 1944, Catharina Karthaus, known as Toto, and her husband sheltered Miriam Neubauer (later Sofer) in their home in Nijmegen, Gelderland. Miriam had been taken there by a Catholic priest, a friend of the Karthaus family, whom Miriam’s sister, Hannah Neubauer (later Yitzhaki), had met through her activities in the local underground. Although Miriam arrived at their home with a false identity, the Karthauses were aware that Miriam was Jewish and nevertheless welcomed her. They had actually needed someone to look after their two children, and they paid Miriam for this service, but they were principally motivated by humanitarian principles. During the battle for the liberation of Nijmegen, Mr. Karthaus was wounded in a bomb attack and had to have his leg amputated. In those bewildering days, Miriam was anxious to join friends who were living in Eindhoven. Toto managed to secure Miriam special permission to travel in an area that was still closed by the liberating forces. At this time, Toto was in an advanced stage of pregnancy and lost track of Miriam’s movements. Several months later, when the situation had calmed down and she had given birth to twins, she journeyed to Eindhoven, where she was informed that Miriam had been taken to the hospital and died. After the war, Toto and her family left Holland. After some time, she divorced her husband and brought up her children alone while living in many different countries. On one of her trips, Toto went to Israel and tracked down Hanna on a kibbutz, eager to show her photos of Miriam from the war. There, Toto learned that Miriam was still alive, and they had an emotional reunion after being separated for 40 years. On February 6, 1986, Yad Vashem recognized Catharina Joanna Rosa Karthaus-van Halteren as Righteous Among the Nations.