Durk de Graaf

Geslacht:	Man
Vader:	Rommert de Graaf
Moeder:	Sietske Veenstra
Geboren:	12 Dec 1917	Drachten
Overleden:	30 Jan 1998
Beroep:		landbouwer
Aantekeningen:	Last Name: Graaf de First Name: Durk Date of Birth: 12/12/1917 Date of death: 30/01/1998 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: CALVINIST Gender: Male Profession: FARMER Place during the war: Drachtstercompagnie, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Drachtstercompagnie, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding Other File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/3061) Durk and Gerrigje de Graaf lived on a farm in the small village of Drachtsercompagnie, Friesland, where their first three children were born during the war. The de Graafs were devout Calvinists, belonging to the strict Calvinist Gereformeerde Church. They were driven by their religious convictions to help Jews and other persecuted people. At the beginning of 1944, Hans Meijer, and his wife, Freddy Meijer-Heilmans, were brought to Durk and Gerrigje by an underground worker, Willem Mondriaan*. Durk and Gerrigje had prepared a three by three-foot hiding area under the attic, a place where others had hidden, and Hans and Freddy found refuge there. Initially, Hans contributed to the daily expenses. After his money ran out, he and his wife were still welcome in the de Graafs’ home. They remained there for most of the time until the end of the war. Freddy helped Gerrigje with her children and occasionally, when there was no danger of detection, Hans helped Durk around the farm. During the course of the war, Durk and Gerrigje also afforded shelter to several other Jews, including the brothers Sally and Jacob de Haas and Sara Bolle and her son Nico. No one, except for a few members of the local underground group and their Church pastor, knew that Durk and Gerrigje were hiding people. On one occasion, two Jewish brothers, who were also being hidden by the de Graafs, were stopped by a policeman for driving a bicycle at night with a faulty light. The brothers admitted to residing at the de Graafs and, when it was discovered that their identity cards were invalid, four policemen were sent to search the de Graafs’ home. The de Graafs’ were warned in time and Durk and the fugitives sought refuge with a neighbor. Gerrigje was questioned by the police, but by staying calm she succeeded in convincing them that no one was being hidden in her home. In addition to hiding people in their home, Durk was active in the local underground movement. He was involved in distributing anti-Nazi literature and transporting weapons. Durk and Gerrigje both believed that fighting evil was more important than looking after their own welfare. After the war, Hans and Freddy moved to Israel, but the strong bond between them and the de Graafs persisted. On December 25, 1984, Yad Vashem recognized Durk de Graaf and his wife, Gerrigje de Graaf-Heuver, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Gerrigje Heuver	geb. 12 Dec 1913 overl. 13 Aug 1999
Huwelijk:	12 Nov 1913	Drachten
Kinderen:
	Marinus Johan de Graaf	geb. 1848 overl. 5 MRT 1951