Kottelenberg Gert ; Brother: Jan

Kottelenberg, Gert Jan Kottelenberg, Jan Efraïm Isaäk Levie (called Eil) Rosenbaum had a pharmacy in Amsterdam. He was married to Johanna Frederika Suzanna (née Zion) and the couple had two little children, Betty and her baby brother, Izak Michel Max (b. 1943), who was called “Maxje.” Times were very hard for the Jews during the German occupation, and in March 1943 it became too dangerous for Johanna and the children. All of them went into hiding, except for Eil, who was requested by the Joodse Raad (Jewish council) to stay in his pharmacy to serve the people who still needed medicine. Betty went into hiding with a family in Eibergen, while Maxje (who was 6 weeks old) and his mother were sheltered by Gert Jan and Jan Kottelenberg, two brothers who were farmers in Neede. They were not the only ones hiding there; Johanna’s brother Julius Zion and Istvan Bablint were also staying with the Kottelenberg brothers. Those brave brothers took a great risk, but they did not hesitate for a moment. They were religious Christians who knew it was their duty to save their Jewish fellow men. Life on the farm was very different from the life Johanna was used to in Amsterdam, but she was grateful for the shelter and care that she and her baby received. One dreadful day, on Friday, March 26, 1943, the Kottelenbergs were betrayed, and the Germans were searching the area. Early in the morning they knocked on Gert Jan and Jan Kottelenberg’s door. The Kottelenbergs were completely surprised. Julius and Istvan immediately disappeared into a tunnel they had dug for hiding, but Johanna not could escape so quickly with her baby, and she was arrested. When the Germans ordered the two men to come out of their hiding place, Istvan went out and was arrested as well. Julius remained in his hiding place, trembling with fear, but he was not discovered. The Germans were pleased with the arrest of the three Jews and imprisoned them in the police station. The next day they were to be transported to Westerbork. The young single policemen were bordered with a woman who was living next to the police station. She offered to take care of baby Max, but the young policeman who was in charge of taking Johanna and Max to Westerbork would not agree. “They ordered me to deliver three Jews, so I can’t take only two.” The next day Johanna and Maxje, who was by then just 10 weeks old, were transported to Westerbork, and two days later, on March 30, 1943, they were transported to Sobibor, where they were both murdered upon arrival. Eil was also murdered in Sobibor. Johanna’s brother Julius survived. He fled from his hiding place and found shelter with other people. Gert Jan and Jan Kottelenberg immigrated to Canada after the war. Gerko de Jeu, son of another of those who hid with the Kottelenberg brothers, Dirk de Jeu, wrote a letter to Yad Vashem to ask that both brothers be honored for risking their lives trying to save Jews, as well as his father. He wrote: “Unfortunately, in my opinion the Kottelenberg brothers have not been honored enough for the work they did in the war for all the hiders and the resistance.” On December 19, 2012, Yad Vashem recognized Gert Jan Kottelenberg and his brother, Jan Kottelenberg, as Righteous Among the Nations.