Stories of Faith from WWII: Corrie ten Boom's Story
Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian who, together with her family, hid Jews in their home to protect them from Nazi persecution during World War II. Betrayed and sent to a concentration camp, Corrie endured unimaginable hardships. Following the war, Corrie became a global speaker, sharing her story and message of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Born on 15 April 1892, Corrie was raised in a devout Christian home. The Ten Boom family owned a watchmaking business in Haarlem when the Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1940.
When the Nazis began rounding up Jews for deportation to concentration camps, the Ten Booms felt compelled to act and joined the Dutch underground resistance. They built a secret room behind Corrie’s bedroom wall, which could hide up to six people.
Corrie and her sister worked tirelessly to secure food rations and coordinate safe routes for those they were hiding. Throughout their efforts, the Ten Booms helped save an estimated 800 Jewish lives.
Their resistance came at a great personal cost. On 28 February 1944, the Ten Boom family was betrayed by an informant and arrested by the Gestapo. Although the hidden Jews were not discovered during the raid, Corrie, her sister Betsie, and their father, the elderly Mr Casper ten Boom, were taken into custody along with other members of their family and friends.
Held together in a gymnasium overnight, Casper led a time of prayer and Bible reading for the family. He asked his son Wilhelm to read Psalm 91: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: My God, in Him will I trust.”
“He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”[1]
Casper, aged 84, died shortly after his arrest. Corrie and Betsie were imprisoned and eventually sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany.
Corrie recalls: “From that moment forward, everything in our lives was changed. We did not know what was ahead of us, but I was certain of one thing – that Jesus would never leave us nor forsake us and that, for a child of God, no pit could be so deep that Jesus was not deeper still.”[2]
During their time in the camp, Corrie and Betsie endured severe malnutrition and brutal treatment. Despite this, they continued to share their faith and offer hope to their fellow prisoners. Betsie passed away in December 1944, but before her death, she shared a vision of creating a place of healing and reconciliation after the war.
Corrie was released from Ravensbrück shortly after due to a clerical error, just days before all women her age were executed. Following the war, she fulfilled Betsie’s vision by establishing rehabilitation centres for survivors of concentration camps and became an international speaker. She travelled extensively, sharing her story of forgiveness and reconciliation.
In 1947, while speaking at a church in Munich, Corrie was approached by a man whom she recognised as one of the Nazi guards from Ravensbrück. He explained that he had become a Christian after the war and asked for forgiveness for his actions. Corrie recalls an internal struggle in that moment, feeling overwhelmed by the pain and bitterness she had endured.
She prayed silently for strength, recalling the biblical command to forgive as God forgives. Finally, she extended her hand to the man, sensing God’s love and grace as she did so.
Corrie ten Boom passed away on her 91st birthday, 15 April 1983, leaving behind a legacy of compassion and resilience. Her story shows the power of faith in the worst of life, or as she described it: “The victory of Jesus Christ in the midst of the deepest evil of man.”[3]
Corrie Ten Boom's story is featured in our WWII Commemorative Edition of the Gospel of John. Click here to find out more.
Edited by: Bethan Walker
[1] Ten Boom, C. (2015). Corrie ten Boom’s Prison Letters. Fort Washington: CLC Publications, pp 12.
[2] Ten Boom, C. (2015). Corrie ten Boom’s Prison Letters. Fort Washington: CLC Publications, pp 13.
[3] Ten Boom, C. (2015). Corrie ten Boom’s Prison Letters. Fort Washington: CLC Publications, pp 89.