Shoah righteous recognised

IN German-occupied Holland, Cornelis and Aaltje van Meurs took the ultimate risk. In 1942, they rescued an 18-month-old Jewish boy, Johann Mouwes, while his parents went into hiding, evading the Nazi menace until 1945. This week, Cornelis and Aaltje were posthumously honoured as Righteous Among the Nations at a ceremony held at the Parliament of Victoria.

The award bestowed by Yad Vashem was presented to the van Meurs’ Australian sons, Hans and Peter, by outgoing Israeli ambassador Shmuel Ben-Shmuel.

“We stand to learn a lot from those who were Righteous Among the Nations,” said Ben-Shmuel.

“They inspired us to … step up for those around us, even in the face of retribution or death. They did not give power to the oppressor by being bystanders. Nor did they encourage the tormentor with silence.”

When Cornelis and Aaltje fostered the young boy, they changed his name from the “very Jewish” Johann, to Hans, and told neighbours and friends he was their nephew whom they were taking care of as his mother was unwell. Over the next three years, they secretly took him to visit his parents who were in hiding in the country.

But the van Meurs’ courage extended beyond their care for Hans. When their Jewish neighbours were taken by the Nazis, they stored their remaining belongings in the hope of their return. When a neighbour’s son was sent to a concentration camp, they ensured that he received food parcels – he would be the only family member to return alive. And as the war worsened, the heroic couple constructed hiding places within their home, including a deep cupboard with a facade, to conceal other Jewish neighbours.

At the end of the war, Hans was reunited with his parents. The Mouweses insisted on paying for the costs of raising their son, but Cornelis and Aaltje refused to accept. Their only request was that the name Hans be kept.

“To this day, I am only known by the name Hans,” commented Mouwes in a video message from Holland, shown at the ceremony.

“There was never a day in my life that I didn’t realise that my mere existence was only the result of the sacrifice and bravery of Cornelis and Aaltje,” he added.

Eventually, Cornelis and Aaltje immigrated to Australia, settling in the Victorian town of Lara. They had three children, naming one of their sons Hans in honour of the child they rescued.

Hans van Meurs thanked “the Israeli nation” for the “honour” awarded to his parents.

“The great shame is that they could not have been recognised for what they did when they were still alive,” his brother Peter added.

REBECCA DAVIS

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