Hauke de Haan

Geslacht: Man
Vader: Ruurd Foppes de Haan
Moeder: Martzen de Jong
Geboren: 15 OKT 1887 Drachten, Smallingerland
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Haan de
First Name: Hauke
Date of Birth: 15/10/1887
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Religion: CALVINIST
Gender: Male
Place during the war: Brunssum, Limburg, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Brunssum, Limburg, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/10223)
Hauke and Trijntje de Haan, both in their fifties, lived in Brunssum (prov. Limburg) with their 20-year-old son Ruurd. Hauke worked in the drapery business, while Trijntje was a housewife. Son Ruurd had not reported for forced labor in Germany, and thus often needed to hide. The family was strictly Calvinist (gereformeerd), in a preponderantly Roman Catholic area. In the course of 1943, through the intervention of their reverend, the de Haans agreed to take in eight-year-old Cato (Toos) van Praagh, fully realizing the personal risk involved. The Jewish girl had been in hiding with Johanna van Steensel* in The Hague, where she was betrayed. She was taken to the Crèche in Amsterdam, the deportation holding area for Jewish children. Underground workers, however, were able to smuggle her out. Toos was warmly welcomed by the de Haans, and soon felt at home. She was allowed to play around the house, but always under supervision. In July 1943, the de Haans agreed to take in a one–year-old baby from Amsterdam, Marcus (Max) Roodveldt, who had also been smuggled out of the Crèche. Marcus was in an abominable physical state, underfed, and covered with sores, but the de Haans nursed him back to health. After a number of months, neighbors became suspicious of Toos and started talking among themselves. It was then thought prudent to move the girl to another hiding address. A place was found with Marten and Frederika Apperloo* in Enschede (prov. Overijssel), in the northeastern part of the country. Hauke and Trijntje de Haan nevertheless kept Max in their care. They were able to register him in a local kindergarten and he developed nicely. When house searches were feared, he was taken by their son Ruurd to the home of his fiancée Marchien, in the area. Max stayed with the de Haans until the liberation of the area in September 1944. It turned out that his parents had perished in Sobibór, and Max subsequently stayed on with Hauke and Trijntje, until a surviving uncle came to claim him. A very difficult separation followed. After a failed stay with the uncle, Max was transferred to an orphanage, and all contact with his rescuers was lost. Toos also lost contact with the de Haans after her immigration to Israel in 1958. Both Max and Toos reestablished contact with the help of a KRO television search program.
On March 23, 2004, Yad Vashem recognized Hauke de Haan and Trijntje Haan de-Geertsma as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Trijntje Geertsma geb. 5 Juli 1891
Huwelijk: 16 MEI 1912 Opsterland