Foster mother to Simona van der Linde. Simona's parents and grandfather were taken by the Nazis when Simona was 2 years old. Her grandmother was upstairs and flushed the toilet to cover the sound of her escaping out the back door. Simona never saw her parents or grandfather again. She was taken to a camp with other children. Someone tried to sneak her & some others out under a food cart and was caught and killed. Another person tried the same method and was able to get the children out. Simona, still a toddler, was taken into the underground with a Christian couple, Hilly and her husband Yme Holwerda, and they raised Simona until the end of the war. At this time Simona was 6 y/o and they found her grandmother, who she did not know anymore. Her grandmother then raised Simona, who never lost contact with her beloved foster family. I met Hilly when visiting Simona in Holland in 1995. She was a lovely woman. Simona was always very close to her foster parents.
Information from Simona van der Linde.
Hilly and her husband Yme were honored as "The Righteous Among Nations." They rescued 2244 Jews during the Holocaust, at great risk to themselves.
Information from Simona van der Linde.
Hilly and her husband Yme were honored as "The Righteous Among Nations." They rescued 2244 Jews during the Holocaust, at great risk to themselves.
Foster mother to Simona van der Linde. Simona's parents and grandfather were taken by the Nazis when Simona was 2 years old. Her grandmother was upstairs and flushed the toilet to cover the sound of her escaping out the back door. Simona never saw her parents or grandfather again. She was taken to a camp with other children. Someone tried to sneak her & some others out under a food cart and was caught and killed. Another person tried the same method and was able to get the children out. Simona, still a toddler, was taken into the underground with a Christian couple, Hilly and her husband Yme Holwerda, and they raised Simona until the end of the war. At this time Simona was 6 y/o and they found her grandmother, who she did not know anymore. Her grandmother then raised Simona, who never lost contact with her beloved foster family. I met Hilly when visiting Simona in Holland in 1995. She was a lovely woman. Simona was always very close to her foster parents.
Information from Simona van der Linde.
Hilly and her husband Yme were honored as "The Righteous Among Nations." They rescued 2244 Jews during the Holocaust, at great risk to themselves.
Information from Simona van der Linde.
Hilly and her husband Yme were honored as "The Righteous Among Nations." They rescued 2244 Jews during the Holocaust, at great risk to themselves.
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