Event History
The NV (Naamlose Vennootschap or the Limited) group, was one of several Dutch underground cells involved in rescue efforts to find shelter for Jewish children living in Amsterdam during the German occupation of Holland. Between 1942 and 1943 approximately 4,000 Jewish children were funneled through an assembly center located in the former Jewish daycare center known as the Creche. The Creche was situated across the street from the Hollandse Schouwburg, the Jewish theater that served as the main holding area for the Jews of Amsterdam prior to their transfer to the Westerbork concentration camp. When Jewish families reported to the theater, children were separated from their parents and sent to the Creche to await deportation. The NV group under the leadership of Jaap Musch and Joop Woortman, focused its efforts on rescuing these children. Since the Creche was not guarded, it was possible for members of the Dutch underground to pick up small groups of children who had been prepared by Jewish staff members inside, and wisk them away by streetcar or other means. The children were then taken to private homes in Amsterdam until they could be transferred to host families elsewhere. Alternatively, the children were taken directly to the railway station and escorted by couriers to their new homes outside the city. They were sent to homes as far north as Friesland and as far south as Limburg. After depositing their charges, the couriers made a point of visiting them periodically to check on their situation. The attitudes exhibited by the host families to the Jewish children ranged from loving to indifferent, and many children had to be moved repeatedly. It is estimated that as many as 1000 Jewish children in the capital were rescued by the combined efforts of all of the underground cells. The NV group is credited with having saved about 250. Sixteen members of the group were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations, including their leaders, Jaap Musch and Joop Woortman, both of whom were arrested in 1944 and died in captivity.
[Source: Paldiel, Mordecai. The Path of the Righteous, KTAV, Hoboken, NJ, 1993]
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005434.
Biography
Pastor Gerardus Jacobus Pontier and his wife, Dora Pontier, members of the Dutch Reformed church in Heerlen, Holland, who hid a Jewish family in their home during the German occupation and helped others to find shelter elsewhere. They were also involved in the rescue efforts of the underground cell known as the NV group, that spirited Jewish children out of Amsterdam and resettled them with Dutch families in smaller communities. In August 1942 the Pontiers welcomed into their home four members of the Zilber family. A short time before, Pastor Pontier had met the Zilber children walking along a street in Heerlen. Seeing that the boys were wearing Jewish badges, he gave them his name and address and offered to assist them if they should ever need help. The Zilbers took up his offer when they received their deportation notice one week later. In order to make room for the Jewish family, the Pontiers moved their two daughters to a neighbor's home. The Zilbers remained there until November 6, 1943 when the Gestapo raided the Pontier home. The Germans arrested Pastor Pontier but for some reason neglected to search the house for the hidden Jews. After the Germans departed with her husband, Dora Pontier helped the Zilbers find a new shelter. The pastor was jailed at Scheveningen prison for six months before being released on May 17, 1944. In addition to the Zilbers, Pastor Pontier helped four other Jewish adults and scores of Jewish children who had been funneled to him by the NV group. The Pontiers were both recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.
[Source: Paldiel, Mordecai. The Path of the Righteous, KTAV, Hoboken, NJ, 1993]
