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Bella van der Wilk - Kohlweij

Bella Kohlweij was a classmate of Margot Frank at the Municipal Lyceum for Girls in Amsterdam.

Person

Fotograaf onbekend. Afkomstig uit privécollectie
  • Sibylla van der Wilk - Kohlweij
  • Born on: Nov. 1, 1925
  • Born in: Amsterdam, Nederland
  • Died on: March 15, 2019
  • Died in: Deventer, Nederland

Bella Kohlweij, Amsterdam, zomer 1943

Fotograaf onbekend. Afkomstig uit privécollectie

Status onduidelijk

Bella Kohlweij was a classmate of Margot Frank at the Municipal Lyceum for Girls. She, Margot Frank, Jaaike van Bork and Anna Harting formed a rowing team, with Rozette van Gelder as their coach.[1] They used the facilities of the VBWJ, an association that promoted watersports among young people. In 1941, Jews were banned from all sports activities, which prevented Rozette van Gelder and Margot from participating. In protest, the rest of the team refused to accept the new coach.[2]

In 1944 Bella graduated from secondary school.[3] She married Hans van der Wilk on 18 August 1952.[4] Her husband died in 1973.[5]

She never realised that Anne Frank was Margot's younger sister until she read her diary. Afterwards, she contacted Otto Frank. On 22 July 1967 she sent him a class photo and a lengthy letter, in which she described the rowing club's protest against the exclusion.[2]

On 15 March 2011 she attended the opening of the temporary exhibition 'Margot, sister of Anne' at the Anne Frank House.[6] She donated to the Anne Frank Foundation a diary from 1940, which included a drawing of the boat and the positions of the rowers.[7] The drawing appears in the book Wie was wie?[1]

Source personal data.[8] Addresses: Derde Helmersstraat 68-II, Amsterdam; De Genestetstraat 13-15 (1929);[9] Molenkamp 25, Bennekom.[2]

Footnotes

  1. a, b Aukje Vergeest, Wie was wie in en om het Achterhuis?, Amsterdam: Anne Frank Stichting, 2013, p. 53.
  2. a, b, c AFS, Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), Otto Frank Archief (OFA), reg. code OFA_085: Bella van der Wilk – Kohlweij aan Otto Frank, 22 juli 1967.
  3. ^ Louise C. Pont et al (red.), Gedenkboek ter gelegenheid van het 25-jarig bestaan van het Gemeentelijk Lyceum voor Meisjes te Amsterdam en het afscheid van Dr Margrita J. Freie als rectrix van deze school, Amsterdam, 1950, p. 109.
  4. ^ Stadsarchief Amsterdam (SAA), Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten (toegangsnummer 30238): Archiefkaart J.F.H. Kohlweij.
  5. ^ Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Getuigenarchief, Bella van der Wilk – Kohlweij: Overlijdensbericht Bella Kohlweij, 15 maart 2019).
  6. ^ AFS, Getuigenarchief Van der Wilk – Kohlweij: Brief aan Erika Prins (AFS), 16 maart 2011.
  7. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code B_Getuigen_I_043: dagboek S. (Bella) Kohlweij.
  8. ^ SAA, Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Gezinskaarten (toegangsnummer 5422): Gezinskaart J.F.H. Kohlweij; AFS, Getuigenarchief, Bella van der Wilk - Kohlweij: Overlijdensbericht Bella Kohlweij, 15 maart 2019.
  9. ^ SAA, Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Gezinskaarten (toegangsnummer 5422): Gezinskaart J.F.H. Kohlweij.