Remembering our History

Willem Arondéus (1894–1943) was a Dutch artist, writer, and member of the anti-Nazi resistance during World War II. Before the war he worked as an illustrator, painter, and author, though he lived much of his life in relative poverty. When the Nazis occupied the Netherlands, Arondéus joined the resistance and helped produce underground publications and forge identity documents to help Jews and other targets of the Gestapo avoid arrest.
In March 1943, Arondéus and fellow resistance members carried out a daring attack on the Amsterdam public records office, destroying hundreds of thousands of identity cards used by the Nazis to track people. The sabotage disrupted Nazi efforts to identify Jews and resistance members, but Arondéus was arrested shortly afterward. Refusing to betray his collaborators, he was tried and executed by firing squad on July 1, 1943.
Openly gay at a time when few dared to be, Arondéus made sure his final message would be remembered. Before his execution he insisted that the public be told: “Homosexuals are not cowards.” Today he is honored as a hero of the Dutch Resistance and was later recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations for helping save Jewish lives during the Holocaust.

Willem Arondéus (Dutch, 1894-1943)

Willem Arondéus (Dutch, 1894-1943)

Willem Arondéus (Dutch, 1894-1943)