Corrie Ten Boom: Lawbreaker Or Hero?

During World War II, Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker, helped shelter Jews in her home. She was part of the Dutch resistance and was arrested and sent to Ravensbrück, a women's concentration camp in northern Germany. In her biography, 'The Hiding Place', ten Boom recounts her family's efforts to hide Jews and her imprisonment. The book raises questions about whether it is acceptable to break laws, even God's laws, in the face of evil. Ten Boom's actions, which included lying to the Nazis to protect those in need, have sparked debate among readers about the morality of breaking laws in extreme circumstances.

Corrie ten Boom's arrest and imprisonment

On 28 February 1944, a Dutch informant, Jan Vogel, informed the Nazis about the Ten Booms' work to hide Jews. At around 12:30 p.m. that day, the Nazis arrested the entire Ten Boom family and everyone else who was in their home—about 30 people in total. The group of six Jews and resistance workers hidden in a secret room in Corrie's bedroom went undiscovered. The house was put under surveillance, but police officers who were part of the resistance coordinated the refugees' escape.

Corrie, her sister Betsie, and their father Casper were held in prison even after the Nazis released most of the others. Casper died about ten days later, and Corrie was held in solitary confinement for three months. At her first hearing, she defended her work, especially with people with mental disabilities, saying that a mentally disabled person could be more valuable to God than a watchmaker or a lieutenant.

Corrie and Betsie were sent from Scheveningen Prison to Herzogenbusch, a political concentration camp, and finally to Ravensbrück, a women's labor camp in Germany. There, they held worship services after work, using a smuggled Bible. Through their teachings and examples of charity, many prisoners converted to Christianity. Betsie's health deteriorated, and she died on 16 December 1944, at 59. Twelve days later, Corrie was released due to a clerical error. She later learned that all the other women in her age group were sent to the gas chambers a week after her release.

The hiding place

The book begins with the ten Boom family celebrating the 100th anniversary of their family business, which sells and repairs watches. The business is located on the ground floor of the family home, known as the Béjé, in the Dutch town of Haarlem. The family consists of Casper ten Boom, his two unmarried daughters Corrie and Betsie, and his son Willem. Casper is a devout Christian and a watchmaker, a trade that Corrie also takes up. Corrie and Betsie open their home to Jewish refugees, and as a result, they become sought after by the Gestapo.

The Dutch Resistance sends an architect to the ten Boom home to build a secret hiding place and an alert buzzer to warn the refugees to get into it as quickly as possible. The secret room is built in Corrie's bedroom behind a false wall and can hold up to six people. A ventilation system is installed, and a buzzer is placed in the house to warn the refugees to get into the room during security sweeps.

Despite the danger, the ten Boom family continues to help Jews, providing them with food and shelter. They also become involved in black market operations and use stolen ration cards. Corrie suffers a moral crisis over the lying, theft, and forgery necessary to keep the Jews safe. However, she perseveres, sacrificing her own safety and personal space to protect those in hiding.

Eventually, the ten Boom family is betrayed, and they are arrested by the Nazis. The hidden Jews remain undiscovered, and with the help of resistance members who are also police officers, they are able to escape. Casper ten Boom is offered his freedom by a Nazi official but refuses, stating that he will continue to help those in need. He is sent to prison, where he dies ten days later.

Corrie and Betsie are sent to Scheveningen, a Dutch prison, and later transferred to Vught, a concentration camp for political prisoners. They are forced to perform hard labor, but their strong Christian faith sustains them. They hold worship services and use a smuggled Bible to teach their fellow prisoners about Jesus. Despite the harsh conditions, Betsie shows universal love and pity for everyone, including their guards.

In 1944, Corrie and Betsie are transferred to Ravensbrück, a notorious women's concentration camp in Germany. The conditions are hellish, and Betsie's health fails. She dies on December 16, 1944, at the age of 59, but not before telling Corrie, "There is no pit so deep that He [God] is not deeper still." Twelve days later, Corrie is released due to a clerical error.

Did she break God's law?

Corrie ten Boom's actions during World War II have sparked a debate about whether it is acceptable to break God's laws, even in the face of evil. Ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker and member of the Dutch resistance, played a crucial role in sheltering Jewish refugees and members of the resistance movement in her home during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. This courageous act of defiance led to her arrest and imprisonment in the Ravensbrück concentration camp.

Ten Boom's decision to hide Jews and deceive the Nazis has raised questions about the morality of her actions in relation to God's laws. Some argue that lying, even to protect innocent lives, is a violation of God's commandments. Exodus 20:16, which states "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour", is often cited as a biblical injunction against lying under any circumstances. From this perspective, ten Boom's deception of the Nazis would be considered a breach of God's law.

However, others contend that ten Boom's actions can be justified within a theological framework. They argue that the greater sin would have been to remain silent and complicit while atrocities were being committed against God's people. Isaiah 58:10-11, which instructs believers to "feed the hungry, and help those in trouble", provides a theological basis for ten Boom's actions. By lying to the Nazis, she was fulfilling a higher moral duty to protect the innocent and stand against evil.

Additionally, ten Boom's faith taught her that all people are created equal and precious in God's sight. This belief, coupled with her conviction that the Jews were God's chosen people, likely influenced her decision to risk her life by offering them refuge. In her eyes, protecting the lives of those persecuted by the Nazis may have been seen as a divine imperative that superseded the commandment against lying.

Furthermore, ten Boom's own experiences in the concentration camp offer insight into her understanding of God's law. While imprisoned, she and her sister Betsie held worship services and shared their faith with other prisoners, resulting in many conversions. Their actions exemplify a faith that prioritised love, forgiveness, and charity above all else. Through their teachings and example, they embodied a form of Christianity that sought to bring light into the darkest of places.

Ultimately, the question of whether ten Boom broke God's law is a complex and deeply philosophical one. It invites us to consider the nature of morality, the role of faith in times of crisis, and the interplay between divine commandments and human interpretation. While some may view her actions as a transgression, others find justification in the higher moral principles that motivated her courageous deeds.

Her release and return to the Netherlands

Corrie ten Boom was released from the Ravensbrück concentration camp in late December 1944. She was told that her release was due to a clerical error and that, had the mistake not occurred, she would have been sent to the gas chambers with the other women in her age group.

After her release, she travelled by train to Berlin, arriving on the 1st of January 1945. She then continued on to the Netherlands, where she was reunited with surviving members of her family.

After the war, ten Boom returned to the Netherlands to set up a rehabilitation centre in Bloemendaal. The refuge housed concentration camp survivors and, until 1950, exclusively sheltered jobless Dutch people who had collaborated with the Germans during the occupation. After 1950, the centre accepted anyone in need of care.

Ten Boom also continued to open her doors to people with disabilities who were in hiding for fear of execution. She advocated reconciliation as a means of overcoming the psychological scars left by the Nazi occupation.

Her work after the war

After the war, Corrie ten Boom returned to the Netherlands and set up a rehabilitation centre for concentration camp survivors. The refuge also sheltered Dutch people who had collaborated with the Germans during the war.

In 1946, ten Boom started a worldwide ministry and travelled to over 60 countries as a public speaker. She wrote several books during this period, including Tramp for the Lord, which details her experiences sharing the gospel in countries across the world.

In 1971, ten Boom published a bestselling memoir about her experiences during World War II, titled The Hiding Place. It was adapted into a film in 1975, starring Jeannette Clift as Corrie and Julie Harris as her sister Betsie.

In 1977, ten Boom moved to Placentia, California, and suffered a series of strokes the following year, which left her paralysed and unable to speak. She died on her 91st birthday, 15 April 1983.

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