Pieter van der Gijp

Geslacht: Man
Vader: Jurianus van der Gijp
Moeder: Jaapje Harmans
Geboren: 7 Apr 1891 Dordrecht
Overleden: 18 Sept 1980 Blaricum
Beroep: smid, koopman, machine bankwerkers baas
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Gijp van der
First Name: Pieter
Date of Birth: 07/04/1891
Date of death: 18/09/1980
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Male
Place during the war: Dordrecht, Zuidholland, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Dordrecht, Zuidholland, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding Arranging shelter
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/5084)
Pieter and Aartje van der Gijp of Dordrecht, South Holland, were active members of the Socialist Party before the war, and had helped refugees who had fled Germany to seek shelter in Holland. Thus, when Siegfried de Jong and his brother, both wearing a yellow star, arrived at the van der Gijp’s home seeking to hide fellow Jews, Pieter and Aartje immediately agreed. Pieter had been a regular customer in Siegfried’s radio and bicycle store and Siegfried knew that Pieter was trustworthy. On August 14, 1942, Netty Kooperberg, the fiancée of Siegfried’s brother, and her friend Sari Kloot-van Gelder arrived at the van der Gijp’s home. Pieter, Aartje, and their son, Juriaan, decided that it was preferable to hide them in the attic. The two fugitives spent all day in the attic and at night, when the curtains were drawn, joined the rest of the family. The relations between hosts and guests were excellent and before long Netty and Sari were addressing Pieter and Aartje as “ma” and “pa.” During this period, Pieter was in contact with his guests’ families, who were hiding in different places. At the end of 1943, Netty’s parents were betrayed and forced to leave their hideout. Pieter journeyed to Geertruidenberg, North Brabant, by train and escorted them back to his own home. Mr. and Mrs. Kooperberg stayed with the van der Gijps until the end of the war. Sari’s mother was also forced to relocate under similar circumstances, but it was impossible for her to join her daughter at the van der Gijps because of the lack of space. Nevertheless, Pieter did help find her a safe address. Pieter personally escorted Mrs. van Gelder to her new hideout, despite the danger such a journey entailed. On several occasions, after Pieter and Aartje were informed that the underground had intercepted letters to the Sipo mentioning that Jews were being hidden in their home, the lodgers temporarily moved out. However, they always returned after the situation had stabilized. After the war, Pieter and Aartje kept in regular touch with the people they had hidden.
On January 22, 1992, Yad Vashem recognized Pieter van der Gijp and his wife, Aartje van der Gijp-van Ballegooijen, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Aartje van Ballegooijen geb. 25 Juli 1892 overl. 14 Apr 1980
Huwelijk: 11 MRT 1915 Dordrecht