Betsie ten Boom
| Betsie ten Boom | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Elisabeth ten Boom 19 August 1885 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Died | 16 December 1944 (age 59) Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, Germany |
| Cause of death | Pernicious anemia |
| Resting place | Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, Germany |
| Residence | Haarlem |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Other names | Known by family as Bep, Beppie |
| Education | Through local secondary school |
| Occupation | Bookkeeper, homemaker |
| Employer | Father, Casper ten Boom |
| Known for | Holocaust, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom |
| Home town | Amsterdam |
| Parent(s) | Casper ten Boom and Cornelia Johanna Arnolda ten Boom |
| Website | ten Boom Museum |
Elisabeth ten Boom (1885–1944) was a Dutch woman, the daughter of a watchmaker, who suffered persecution under the Nazi regime in World War II, including incarceration in Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she died aged 59. The daughter of Casper ten Boom, she is one of the leading characters in The Hiding Place, a book written by her sister Corrie ten Boom about the family's experiences during World War II. Nicknamed Betsie, she suffered with pernicious anemia from her birth. The oldest of five ten Boom children, she did not leave the family and marry, but remained at home until World War II.
Betsie ten Boom suffered with a case of pernicious anemia. This case is believed to be caused by a malfunction of the gastric juices of intrinsic factor during the nine weeks before birth. Her illness prevented her from bearing children, so she chose, at a young age, not to marry.
Betsie ten Boom was educated in the local primary and secondary school until the age of 15. She remained at home to work with her father in his watchshop where she served as the bookkeeper. She also cooked for their family.
Her younger sister Corrie later took over the bookkeeping role when ten Boom caught influenza. Ten Boom then began housekeeping and continued to do so until her Nazi detention.
The ten Boom family belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church and believed strongly in the equality of all people before God. One of the brothers was a minister and the sisters had been active in charitable work before the war. During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the family began to hide numerous Jews and resisters in their home, and built a secret room to protect them.
In 1944, the family and other people at the house, about 30 in all, were arrested for their resistance activities and taken to Scheveningen prison. The six Jews in hiding at the house were not discovered and survived, with the help of other Resistance workers. Father Casper ten Boom became ill and died 10 days later at the prison. A brother, sister and nephew were released.
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