Schot Berend & Johanna (Prinsen); Son: Jan

Schot, Berend & Johanna (Prinsen) & Jan Resistance workers took 12-year-old Robert Allen Simons and his parents, Dr. Solomon Simons and Anneliese Johanna, to a hiding place in Haarlem, North Holland. His younger brother, Jaap, was taken to a separate location. Robert was later arrested at the hideout but managed to escape and subsequently went into hiding in Leiden, South Holland. From there, he was smuggled out to the Schot family farm in Hupsel, Gelderland. He was to stay with the Schots until the British and Canadian forces liberated the area in 1945. The Schots received no money for Robert’s upkeep and always considered him a member of the family. They had one daughter, Betsy, who was the same age as Robert, and a 20-year-old son, Jan. During his stay on the farm, the German authorities used the local cafe as their headquarters and became increasingly suspicious about the family’s activities. When the situation became particularly dangerous, Robert was brought to the farm of Mina (Schot) and her husband Gerrit-Jan Hulshof*. After the war, Robert’s aunt came to pick him up since his parents had perished in Sobibor. Robert continued to maintain regular contact with the Schot family. During the war, the Schots assisted many others. As a leader of the local Resistance unit, Jan Schot helped Allied pilots who had been shot down over Dutch territory escape to England. He also helped fugitives who had escaped from German concentration camps to obtain food and shelter in the area. In a personal letter from Prince Bernhard, dated 1945, Jan Schot was highly praised for his work in the Resistance. In 1959, Charles de Gaulle awarded him with the bronze Croix de Guerre. He also received a letter of appreciation from President Eisenhower. On June 6, 1993, Yad Vashem recognized Berend Schot and his wife, Johanna Schot-Prinsen, as Righteous Among the Nations. On October 18, 1995, Yad Vashem recognized their son Jan Schot as Righteous Among the Nations.