Lodder Cornelis & Maartje (Dikstaal)

Lodder, Cornelis Lodder-Dikstaal, Maartje Cornelis Lodder, born 1907, and his wife Maartje, born 1916, lived with their six-year-old daughter Ans, in the small village of Winkel (prov. North-Holland). They ran a small textile business together. As youngsters, they both had been active in human rights activities in the socialist youth movement, AJC. In the late summer of 1942, after the onset of the deportations of the Jews, the Lodders were approached by a student resistance group in Amsterdam. Their name had been given to them by a former co-member of the AJC. The Lodders were asked if they would have the courage to hide a Jewish child in their home and decided to take the risk. A pick-up time was arranged at the railway station, however, no child came. As it turned out, the specific child had already been arrested. Some days later, another child, six-year-old Louise Sachs, arrived holding her doll. She had been living with her parents in Stadskanaal (prov. Groningen), where her father had a senior position with the Postal Service. With the onset of the deportations, Louise’s father was arrested. Louise was taken to a temporary hiding place by the Amsterdam Student Resistance Group, and from there contact was made with the Lodders. When she arrived at their home, she was a frightened little girl, suffering from nightmares. However, she soon found a nice playmate in Ans, the Lodders’ daughter, and started to feel comfortable in her new environment. Louise was to respond to the name Wiesje and was introduced as a child of parents who were living in the city where there was not enough food. An arrangement with immediate neighbors took care of an escape route if needed. After informing the headmaster of the local school, Louise was allowed to enroll. The Lodders received food coupons for Louise through the same student resistance group. In the summer of 1943, word reached the Lodders, that a Loesje Pinto, a Jewish girl in hiding with their good friends Jacob andWijntje de Vries*, had been betrayed and arrested. Afraid of further betrayals, Louise was immediately removed from the Lodders and taken elsewhere after an emotional farewell. After many temporary hiding addresses, she arrived by the end of 1943 at the home of Jochum and Tonie de Vries*, where she stayed until the liberation. On March 18, 2001, Yad Vashem recognized Cornelis Lodder and Maartje Lodder-Dikstaal, as Righteous Among the Nations.