Lena Jerina Geelhoed
| Geslacht: | Vrouw | |
| Vader: | Huibregt Geelhoed | |
| Moeder: | Adriana Koole | |
| Geboren: | 13 Dec 1899 | Wissenkerke |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Groenleer First Name: Lena Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Place during the war: Colijnsplaat, Zeeland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Colijnsplaat, Zeeland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/8961) Kees Groenleer, lived with his wife, Lena, and five of his children in a modest home in the village of Colijnsplaat (prov. Zeeland, North Beveland Island). He was an employee in a firm owned by Mozes Polak that dealt in old clothing and metals. In the spring of 1942, Mozes Polak, his wife, Roza (née Ziff) and their children Ada, twelve, and Louis, ten, all living in nearby Middelburg, were forced to move to the Jewish section of Amsterdam. This was a result of the German policy to concentrate the Jewish population from the outer provinces into the big cities. Earlier, in 1940, they had tried to reach Switzerland, but once they had reached northern France, they were forced to return. While in Amsterdam, the Polaks were determined to evade the deportations that started at July 1942. At that point, Kees Groenleer offered to hide them in his home, seeing it his duty as a good Christian. After Groenleers son Arjaan obtained false identity papers for the Polaks, father and son Groenleer picked them up in Amsterdam and accompanied them to Rotterdam by train. There a boat was waiting to take them to Zeeland. Covered by the darkness of night, the Polaks reached the Groenleer home and were given a room upstairs. Having Jews in hiding was especially risky in the province of Zeeland, because of the heavy German presence along the coastline used for their Atlantic Wall defenses. The Polak family thus stayed indoors at all times. Mozes Polak participated in the extra expenses and Roza and Ada knitted clothing that Arjaan then exchanged for food. In case of imminent danger, the Polaks were to hide under a large pile of old clothing in the courtyard. In a number of cases, when German soldiers were billeting homes close by, Arjaan succeeded in locating temporary hideouts in the area, until he was able to take the Polaks back to his parents home. In addition, Arjaan contacted another Polak daughter, offering to hide her and her husband in their home as well. They did not accept the offer, and were soon afterwards caught and incarcerated in the Vught (Herzogenbusch) concentration camp. The Groenleers sent them food during their stay there, until they were deported. The Polak family stayed for over two years until November 1944, when the province of Zeeland was liberated. They stayed in touch with the Groenleers after the war and Mozes Polak donated a new bell to the local church as a token of his appreciation. On June 25, 2000, Yad Vashem recognized Kees and Lena Groenleer and their son Arjaan, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Cornelis Groenleer | geb. 17 Dec 1872 overl. 27 Apr 1961 |
| Huwelijk: | 30 MRT 1921 | Colijnsplaat |