Gerrit Don

Geslacht:	Man
Vader:	Gerrit Don
Moeder:	Naatje Storm
Geboren:	26 Aug 1893	Vlaardingen
Overleden:	14 Nov 1982	Vlaardingen
Aantekeningen:	Last Name: Don First Name: Gerrit Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: CHRISTIAN Gender: Male Place during the war: Vlaardingen, Zuidholland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Vlaardingen, Zuidholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Arranging shelter Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/980) Gerrit and Wilhelmina Don lived in Vlaardingen, South Holland. During the war, Gerrit helped hide many Jews with his relatives and with local families, in the farm buildings of nearby villages. He found a hiding place for, among others, Leon van Dijk, his wife and child, and also for the Kokernoot-van der Veen family and Dr. D. Hausdorff and his wife. All those whom he hid, came initially to his house and then he and his wife, Wilhelmina, accompanied them to the arranged hiding place. One day a coworker asked Gerrit, who was an employee of the Lever Brothers soap and oil factory, if he would be willing to hide two boys in his house. Gerrit and his wife had five children, including a young son with Downs Syndrome. That afternoon, Gerrit consulted with Wilhelmina, and they agreed to do it. The two boys, Louis and George de Vries of Rotterdam, stayed in a small room in the Don’s home and were sometimes allowed to walk around the house. Only once, when the Dons were celebrating the wedding anniversary of Gerrit’s parents and a large number of guests were invited, were they forced to move to another place. During the war the Dons also took in three American pilots for a few days when their plane crashed. Gerrit was afraid to hide them for longer lest it put the children in danger and the pilots were taken back to their units ten days later. The Dons put themselves in an especially precarious situation because the hiding place in their home was right under the Germans’ noses - next to the main command. Gerrit and Wilhelmina managed to conceal the fact that they were hiding children from their parents and most of their family and friends. Gerrit was a practicing Christian and believed that divine intervention had kept the Jews he had hidden from being caught. All of them survived the war. The two de Vries boys grew up, started their own families, and kept in touch with the people who had saved their lives. After the war, the Dutch government honored the Dons for their actions with an award of excellence. On September 9, 1975, Yad Vashem recognized Gerrit Don and his wife, Wilhelmina Don-Uittenbroek, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Wilhelmina Johanna Uittenbroek	geb. 25 Sept 1890 overl. 18 Sept 1933
Huwelijk:	10 Juni 1920	Rotterdam