Dirk Boonstra

Geslacht: Man
Vader: Dirk Boonstra
Moeder: Aaltje Hoitsma
Geboren: 24 Feb 1893 St. Annaparochie, Het Bildt
Overleden: 9 Sept 1944 Hersbrück Duitsland
Beroep: gemeenteveldwachter
Aantekeningen: Boonstra Dirk (1893 - 1944 )
Personal Information
Last Name: Boonstra
First Name: Dirk
Date of Birth: 24/02/1893
Date of death: 09/09/1944
Rescuer's fate: camp inmate
murdered
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Male
Profession: POLICE OFFICER
Organization/ Religious order: Marechaussee
Place during the war: Grootegast, Groningen, The Netherlands
Vught, Camp, The Netherlands
Dachau, Camp, Germany
Rescue Place: Grootegast, Groningen, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Other
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/3995)
Commemoration
Date of Recognition: 14/11/1988
Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Tree
Ceremony organized by Israeli diplomatic delegation in: The Hague, Netherlands
Ceremony held in Yad Vashem: Yes
Rescue Story
Boonstra, Dirk
On Tuesday morning March 9, 1943, Dirk Boonstra, sergeant of the constabulary station at Grootegast, Groningen, was ordered to arrest seven elderly Jews in nearby Grijpskerk and take them to Westerbork. He refused. Two days later, Dirk and his colleagues were summoned by the district commander to the Grootegast barracks and ordered to obey the order. They refused unanimously. The other members of the brigade who were involved were Jan Deddens*, Klaas Berga*, Tonnis Bulthuis*, Theodoor Buunk*, Tjerk van der Hauw*, Geert Holvast*, Roelf Mulder* and Willem Vlijm* , and Jan Elzinga* . The same day all of them were reprimanded by the regional commander in Groningen, who tried again to persuade them to carry out the order, threatening to send them to a concentration camp. They again refused, declaring that divine law had precedence over any worldly authority. The following day, all 11 men were taken to the Vught concentration camp. A short time later, the seven Jews from Grootegast were deported and gassed. March 7, 1944, a prisoner escaped and as punishment the 11 men were placed in solitary confinement in the notorious “bunker.” On May 24, Boonstra was taken to Dachau and on September 9, 1944, Dirk Boonstra died in Dachau.
On November 14, 1988, Yad Vashem recognized Dirk Boonstra as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Antje Schat geb. 30 MEI 1891
Huwelijk: 18 MEI 1916 Het Bildt