More than 10,000 Jewish children found safety fleeing antisemitism through the Kindertransport efforts organized by Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer. Operating as a Dutch resistance figure before and during World War II, she directly intervened to move refugees across borders, famously leveraging the presence of royalty on a train to prevent customs officials from removing vulnerable children from her care.
Background and early activism
Born in Alkmaar in 1896 to Jacob Meijer and Hendrika Boer, Wijsmuller-Meijer moved to Amsterdam in 1913. After marrying banker J. F. Wijsmuller in 1922, she focused on social work, coordinating homecare associations and managing daycare services. Her political engagement grew in 1935 when she ran for the Amsterdam city council, followed by the 1938 founding of the Corps for Female Volunteers.
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In late 1938, acting on behalf of the Dutch Children's Committee, she traveled to Vienna to meet Adolf Eichmann. Despite the Nazi official's initial hostility, she secured permission to transport 600 Jewish children out of the city within a tight timeframe. By organizing rapid train logistics, she successfully moved the group to the Hook of Holland, with 100 children remaining in the Netherlands and 500 continuing to the United Kingdom.
Organizing the Kindertransport
From late 1938 until September 1, 1939, she managed regular train shipments of children under 17 from Nazi-occupied territories to Great Britain, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Transports were coordinated through routes at Emmerich and Bentheim, with strict limits on personal belongings. She worked alongside organizations like the Refugee Children's Movement to sustain this high-pressure operation until the outbreak of war.
Post-war public service
Following the war, she continued her civic life in Amsterdam, serving as a municipal councillor. She also shifted her focus to medical reform, overseeing the conversion of the Beatrix-Oord sanatorium into a general hospital. Her humanitarian contributions were formally acknowledged in 1966 when she was honored as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem. She passed away in Amsterdam in 1978.
Fast facts
- Born: 1896, Alkmaar
- Died: 1978, Amsterdam
- Nationality: Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Award: Righteous Among the Nations (1966)
- Occupation: Resistance fighter and municipal councillor
Questions readers ask
How did she manage to transport children during the war?
She utilized an extensive network of volunteers and negotiated directly with Nazi officials to authorize departures, often accompanying the groups herself.
What was her role in the Kindertransport?
She served as a key organizer, managing the logistics of train travel for children fleeing Nazi-occupied territories to various European countries and Britain.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1966
- Worked as resistance fighter
