Gijsbertus Hubertus Heemskerk
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Adrianus Hermanus Heemskerk | |
| Moeder: | Maria Janmaat | |
| Geboren: | 16 Aug 1901 | Nieuwer-Amstel |
| Overleden: | 20 OKT 1976 | Amsterdam |
| Beroep: | grondwerker, slager | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Heemskerk First Name: Gijsbertus Hubertus Alias: GIJS Date of Birth: 16/08/1901 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: CATHOLIC Gender: Male Place during the war: Amsterdam, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Amsterdam, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/11333) Gijsbertus (Gijs) Heemskerk, a widower, lived in Amsterdam, close to one of the Jewish areas. His upstairs neighbors were the Jewish Deegen family, father Israel, born February 10, 1918, and his wife Hendrika Deegen-van de Kar, born October 14, 1912, and their young son Nico. Well into the period of orders for work in the East for the Jews from the Netherlands, the Deegens decided not to await their turn, but instead asked Gijs for help. He suggested that they hide in the cellar of their building, where he lived on the ground floor, and by the early spring of 1943, the parents indeed did just that. Nico was taken elsewhere. This was a daring act, as the Deegens were obviously known in the area. As a result they had to stay indoors at all times, completely out of sight from anyone at all times. For some time, another Jewish couple was also in hiding with them there, Ab and Johanna Pach. Others, in total seven, also found refuge there for short periods of time. Gijs made a secret opening into the cellar through which food and other necessities could be passed in. He, and his second wife, Barbara, whom he married toward the end of 1944, took care of all their daily needs and managed to find enough food for all. In the summer of that year, while still in hiding, Hendrika became pregnant. Not knowing what to do, she consulted with Gijs, who insisted that she stay. Gijs was a devout Catholic, and terminating the pregnancy was out of the question, even in such dangerous times. He came through with a place for the baby to go to. One day after the baby was born, on February 16, 1944, Gijs was able to place the boy with Hendrik and Catharina Mulder*, also in Amsterdam. Hendrika Deegen was not to know where the baby was, in order to prevent her from going there. Instead, she supplied her mother milk on a daily basis for Barbara to take to the Mulders. Betrayal was always a possibility, and indeed Gijs was arrested on the street and taken to the police station. He was brutally interrogated, but did not reveal the presence of Jews in the cellar. He was released, but a number of house searches that followed immediately did not reveal the Jews in hiding. The Deegens stayed on until the liberation of the city in May 1945. On May 4, 2008, Yad Vashem recognized Gijsbertus Hubertus Heemskerk and Barbara Heemskerk-Bakker as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Geertruida Copier | geb. 3 Sept 1883 overl. 26 Apr 1943 |
| Huwelijk: | 10 Feb 1926 | Nieuwer-Amstel |
Gezin 2
| Huwelijkspartner: | Barbara Martha Bakker | geb. 24 Apr 1910 overl. 31 Juli 1967 |
| Huwelijk: | 12 Dec 1944 | Amsterdam |