Corrie Ten Boom: A Brief Biography

Corrie ten Boom was a simple watchmaker until she and her family were invaded by Nazi soldiers and put in a concentration camp. Corrie and her family were treated horribly in the camp because they were helping innocent Jews. Even though they suffered, Corrie and her family relied on God the whole way through. Corrie ten Boom was a very influential christian who impacted many lives by helping hundreds of Jews by hiding them from the Nazis, spreading the Gospels while being held captive in concentration camp, and forgiving some of the most undeserving people.

It all started on April 15, 1892, in Haarlem, Netherlands, when Corrie was born. Corrie was named Cornelia Arnolda Johanna ten Boom after her mother Cornelia. She lived with both her parents, Cornelia and Casper ten Boom, and was the youngest of four children. Corrie had two sisters, Betsie and Nollie, and one brother named Willem. The ten Boom family lived in an apartment above the watch shop, that Casper ten Boom owned. Corrie and her siblings were very well raised by Christian parents who loved them very much. Several years later, after Corrie’s mother had passed away, the watch shop was passed down to Corrie. This made Corrie the first female licensed watchmaker in all of Holland.

A few years later the Jews of Holland became endangered by the advancement of

Hitler and the Nazi party. The ten Booms were horrified to see that God’s chosen people were being treated so terribly, so they took it upon themselves to help the Jews by hiding them in their apartment. The ten Booms built a fake wall in one of the bedrooms, big enough to hide six refugees, in the event of a Nazi invasion. Corrie and her family later established a network of houses that hid Jews from the Nazis. In this process the ten Booms would host several Jews for a while and then send them to the next house until all of the Jews were safely out of the country. Miraculously, Corrie and her family managed to save over eight hundred Jews, during World War II.
One day when Corrie was running the watch shop, an informant claimed that he was a Jew seeking refuge. Naturally, the ten Booms welcomed him into their house only to be betrayed. The next day thirty people were arrested, including the ten Boom family. Little did the Nazis know that six Jewish refugees were still hiding in the fake wall. These Jews stayed hidden in the wall for several days until they were finally rescued by someone else in Corrie’s network of safehouses.
Corrie’s family went through many hard times, but they never lost faith. The ten Booms were first placed in the local prison, but they were almost immediately transferred to the Scheveningen Concentration Camp. After only being held at Scheveningen for several days, Nollie and Willem were released, but Casper ten Boom died at the hands of the Nazis. Despite trials and losing their father, Corrie and Betsie spread the Gospels with the Bible they had managed to sneak into concentration camp. Corrie and Betsie spread the Gospels with many prisoners by translating the words in different languages (McDaniel). Through Corrie and Betsie many women began following the Lord. A little while later Corrie and Betsie were transferred to the Vught Concentration Camp, which was worse than the other, but Corrie and Betsie persevered. After only being at Vught for a few weeks the ten Boom sisters were transferred to Ravensbruck, which was by far the worst of all three. At Ravensbruck, the women were treated terribly and were beaten nonstop, but Corrie and Betsie continued to spread the Gospels. Sadly, Betsie ten Boom died, in the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, on December 16, 1944; after living a life preaching to others and honoring God.
Twelve days after the death of Betsie, Corrie was released due to a clerical error (McDaniel). Corrie was relieved to be released, but was devastated when she discovered that all the women at Ravensbruck, from her age group, were killed by the Nazi soldiers (McDaniel). Once World War II ended, Corrie shared her inspirational story with the world. Corrie ten Boom spoke in conferences, held rallies, and even wrote a book called “The Hiding Place,” about her life.
One day when Corrie had finished giving a speech, she was confronted by a Ravensbruck Guard. Corrie immediately recognized him as one of the men who had beaten her sister. The guard told Corrie that he had recently become a Christian and that he was very sorry for all he had done towards her family. According to Corrie, her mind went blank and she did not know what to do, but then she remembered how Betsie always forgave the very people who were beating her. Corrie also remembered how God calls all of His children to forgive. Remembering these things made Corrie start to cry; she reached out and hugged the guard and told him that he was forgiven. That day Corrie and the Ravensbruck Guard parted as friends.
After living a long and incredible life, Cornelia Arnolda Johanna ten Boom passed away on her ninety-first birthday. According to the Jewish religion, if someone dies on their birthday it means that they lived a life pleasing to the Lord, and anyone could agree that pleasing the Lord is exactly what Corrie sought out to do. Even though Corrie is gone now, her story lives on and still inspires many people today.
In Psalm 9:9-10 the Lord tells us that “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” Corrie definitely turned to God when she was suffering or in pain. One of the most admirable things about her is that she was not too proud to ask for God’s help. One of the main struggles with our society today is that we believe that we can do everything by ourselves and do not need to depend on God. Not only did Corrie push through hard times, with God’s help, but she also uplifted others and taught the Gospels. Corrie risked her life many times to save others and ultimately share her faith with them so that they could live for eternity. Our society needs to rely and trust in God more, so that we may be an example of Christ in our everyday lives.
In conclusion, Corrie ten Boom was a God honoring women who spent her whole life ministering to other people.

Despite the risks, Corrie hid Jewish refugees who were in danger and spread the Gospels continuously to her fellow prisoners in the concentration camp. Corrie also forgave a Ravensbruck Guard who persecuted her sister, Betsie ten Boom. Corrie persevered through many hardships, but she always relied on God for her strength. One of the most admirable things about Corrie is that she never lost faith, even if she could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. As Corrie said herself “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known

God.”