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Who Was Corrie Ten Boom? – Viral Believer
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Who Was Corrie Ten Boom?

Introduction

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian woman who, along with her family, helped many Jews escape the Holocaust during World War II. She is most well-known for her memoir, “The Hiding Place,” which details her experiences during the war and her eventual capture and imprisonment in a concentration camp. After her release, she became an internationally known speaker and writer, sharing her message of forgiveness and hope with audiences around the world.

Corrie Ten Boom

Early Life and Family

Corrie ten Boom was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1892. She was the youngest of four children in a devout Christian family. Her father, Casper ten Boom, was a watchmaker and jeweler, and her mother, Cornelia ten Boom, was a homemaker.

Corrie grew up in a religious household and was raised to be a devout Christian. Her family was actively involved in the Dutch Reformed Church, and she grew up listening to her father’s sermons. Corrie was a gifted and dedicated student; she attended a teacher’s college in Haarlem and later worked as a teacher and a governess.

The Hiding Place and Resistance Work

In 1940, when the Nazis occupied the Netherlands, Corrie and her family began to assist Jews in hiding from the authorities. They converted a section of their home in Haarlem into a “hiding place,” which became a safe haven for many Jewish families. They also provided false papers and food to Jewish families in hiding.

Over the course of the war, the ten Boom family helped save the lives of an estimated 800 Jews. This work was done with the help of the Dutch resistance movement; the ten Boom family helped Jewish refugees to escape to neutral countries such as Switzerland.

In 1944, the ten Boom family was betrayed and arrested by the Gestapo. Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to the notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany. Betsie died there, but Corrie was eventually released due to a clerical error. After the war, Corrie wrote “The Hiding Place,” which details her experiences during the war and her time in the concentration camp. The book was a bestseller and was later made into a movie.

Forgiveness and Activism

After the war, Corrie ten Boom dedicated her life to spreading the message of forgiveness and reconciliation. She spoke at churches, schools, and universities around the world, sharing her experiences and encouraging others to forgive even in the face of great evil. She also worked with Holocaust survivors, helping them to rebuild their lives and find hope in the midst of their trauma.

Corrie ten Boom was also an advocate for human rights and actively supported causes such as civil rights and anti-apartheid. She believed that all people were created in the image of God and deserved to be treated with dignity and respect.

She continued to travel and speak until her death in 1983. During her lifetime, Corrie received numerous awards and honors for her work in promoting human rights and tolerance. She was also invited to speak at events such as the United Nations and the World Council of Churches.

Conclusion

Corrie ten Boom was a remarkable woman whose life was marked by courage, faith, and compassion. Despite the atrocities she witnessed during the Holocaust, she was able to forgive those who had wronged her and her family. Her message of forgiveness and hope continues to inspire people around the world to this day.

Corrie’s activism and support for human rights serve as an example of how one person can make a difference in the world. Her legacy lives on through her book and the Corrie Ten Boom Museum in the Netherlands, which serves as a reminder of the atrocities of the Holocaust and the power of forgiveness and compassion.

Corrie ten Boom’s story serves as a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope and a way to make a positive impact on the world.

One of Corrie’s most famous quotes sums up her life’s work and message perfectly: “Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” Corrie ten Boom’s ability to forgive and her unwavering faith in the face of unimaginable hardship is truly remarkable and serves as an inspiration to us all.

Today, her legacy continues through the Corrie Ten Boom Museum, which is located in the home where she and her family hid Jews during the war, as well as through the Corrie Ten Boom Heritage Center in California, which aims to share her message of hope and forgiveness with the world.

In conclusion, Corrie ten Boom’s life was one of incredible courage and selflessness. Her unwavering faith and ability to forgive in the face of unimaginable hardship serve as an inspiration to us all. Her legacy continues to inspire people to this day, and her message of hope and forgiveness will live on for generations to come.

Pastor Duke Taber
Pastor Duke Taber

Pastor Duke Taber

All articles have been written or reviewed by Pastor Duke Taber.
Pastor Duke Taber is an alumnus of Life Pacific University and Multnomah Biblical Seminary.
He has been in pastoral ministry since 1988.
Today he is the owner and managing editor of 3 successful Christian websites that support missionaries around the world.
He is currently starting a brand new church in Mesquite NV called Mesquite Worship Center, a Non-Denominational Spirit Filled Christian church in Mesquite Nevada.