Hendrik Dienske

Geslacht: Man
Vader: Johannes Simon Dienske
Moeder: Johanna Geertruida Dijkstra
Geboren: 30 Juni 1907 Schiedam
Overleden: 16 Feb 1945 Helmstedt, Duitsland
Religie: Geref.
Beroep: kantoorbediende
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Dienske
First Name: Hendrik
Alias: HENK DE RIDDER
Date of Birth: 30/06/1907
Date of death: 16/02/1945
Rescuer's fate: murdered camp inmate
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Religion: CALVINIST
Gender: Male
Profession: OFFICER
Organization/ Religious order: LO - Landelijke Organisatie
Place during the war: Amsterdam, Noordholland, The Netherlands, Vught, Camp, The Netherlands, Helmstedt Beendorf, Camp, Germany
Rescue Place: Amsterdam, Noordholland, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Supplying basic goods Arranging shelter Other
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/598)
From the very first day of the occupation, Hendrik (Henk) Dienske, a reserve officer in the Dutch army, opposed the Germans. In late 1942, when the LO was founded, he was among the initiators. He later became the LO leader in the province of North Holland. Being acutely aware of the dangers faced by the Jews, Henk, also known by his nickname De Ridder (The Knight), organized the Jews under his command in a special task force called “J.” The meetings of the group were held in his home in Amsterdam and it was there that all the actions were planned, notwithstanding the fact that Henk’s wife and five children lived there. The main goal of Group “J” was to find hiding places for Jews, mainly in Gelderland (Aalten) and the surrounding areas, and to escort people to the safe addresses. He also worked in conjunction with leaders of the AR Party and the Protestant Church. Group “J” also provided hidden Jews with money and ration cards. When, in 1944, the new system of ration cards came into effect and forging coupons became more difficult, Henk organized a raid on a distribution office to get hold of new documents. On April 20, 1944, Henk was arrested and sent to Vught and from there to a concentration camp in Germany. He died in Helmstedt, an Aussenkommando of Neuengamme, on February 16, 1945. Henk was awarded the Resistance Cross posthumously. The city of Amsterdam later honored him by naming a street after him.
On February 2, 1971, Yad Vashem recognized Henk Dienske as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Elisabeth Catharina de Die geb. 13 Apr 1903
Huwelijk: 2 Juni 1932 Amsterdam