Jantjen Muil

Geslacht: Vrouw
Vader: Gerrit Muil
Moeder: Johanna Voupel
Geboren: 27 OKT 1907 Gorssel
Overleden: 10 MRT 1980 Gorssel
Religie: Ned. Hervormd
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Braakhekke
First Name: Jantje
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Religion: PROTESTANT
Gender: Female
Place during the war: Gorssel, Gelderland, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Gorssel, Gelderland, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/9011)
Herman and Jantje Braakhekke, a childless couple in their thirties, lived on an isolated farm just outside the town of Gorssel (prov. Gelderland). They were devout Protestants, and when asked to come forward and give shelter to a Jewish girl in 1943, they were ready to take the risk. In January 1943, seven-year-old Helly Oestreicher was taken in by the Braakhekkes, even though they had been told that they would be getting a baby girl. She was the daughter of Felix and Gerda (née Laqueur), originally from Czechoslovakia, who had fled to Amsterdam in the late thirties. She and her entire family - parents, two sisters and a grandmother - had been arrested in November 1942 and taken to the Hollandsche Schouwburg, the assembly point for Jews who were to be deported. On their way, father Felix, a physician, succeeded in convincing the Germans that Helly, an asthmatic girl, was suffering from diphtheria, a contagious disease the Germans were afraid of. As a result, Helly was left off at the Joodse Invalide Hospital close by. From there, Helly was whisked away to the Braakhekkes by underground workers. Helly was now to answer to the Dutch-sounding name of Elly Strijker. She was a skinny girl when she arrived, and was introduced as a child from bombed-out Rotterdam. The Braakhekkes accepted Elly with warmth in their home and cared for all her needs. She was able to wander about the farm, but could not go to school for security reasons. When, within the next year, Jantje gave birth to a baby, after many miscarriages, the Braakhekkes saw this as a sign from God for having taken in a persecuted Jewish child. Besides hiding Helly, the Braakhekkes also gave shelter to non-Jewish men who had escaped forced labor. Helly stayed with Herman and Jantje until after the liberation of the area in May 1945 when her grandfather Laqueur, who had survived Bergen Belsen, was able to set up a home for her and her sisters. She stayed in close contact with the Braakhekkes, spending her summer vacations on their farm.
On September 3, 2000, Yad Vashem recognized Herman Braakhekke and Jantje Braakhekke-Muil, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Herman Braakhekke geb. 1 OKT 1909 overl. 10 Feb 1989
Huwelijk: 15 Dec 1934 Gorssel