Eugène Joanna Benedictus van der Heijden
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Josephus Cornelis van der Heijden | |
| Moeder: | Elisabeth Apollonia Catharina Peeters | |
| Geboren: | 14 Juni 1920 | Hilvarenbeek |
| Overleden: | 23 Apr 2003 | Maastricht |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Heijden van der First Name: Eugene Title: DR. Date of Birth: 14/06/1920 Date of death: 23/04/2003 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: ROMAN CATHOLIC Gender: Male Organization/ Religious order: Marechaussee Place during the war: Hilvarenbeek, Noordbrabant, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Hilvarenbeek, Noordbrabant, The Netherlands ; Amsterdam, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding Illegal transfer File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/1229) Eugene van der Heijden was one of the founders of the Amsterdam-Paris Line, a group led from France by John Weidner*. The Amsterdam-Paris Line collaborated with the Dutch military police (the constabularies) to save Jews, Allied pilots, French prisoners of war, and Dutch students by escorting them across the border to Belgium, France, or Switzerland. It has been estimated that between May 1942 and November 1943, the group saved about 150 people, without ever accepting financial remuneration. (The Dutch constabularies were instrumental in obtaining Belgian identity cards, which they confiscated from Belgians illegally crossing the border into Holland, and also in helping the Resistance to cross the border with the refugees.) Eugene was the son of Josephus and Elisabeth van der Heijden of Hilvarenbeek, North Brabant, near the Belgian border. They were a Catholic family and Josephus, Eugene, and his two elder brothers, Gustaaf and Marcel, were all involved in the Resistance. Although they were only small-scale tobacco merchants, the family owned a large house in this border town, which had been open to refugees since the beginning of the war. When, in 1942, the persecution of Dutch Jewry intensified, Eugene expanded his activities to Amsterdam, from where he guided Jews via Hilvarenbeek to Switzerland. Among the many people he saved in this way was the famous Dutch singer, Re Koster, and her husband. In November 1943, Eugene was forced to cease his illegal activities and go into hiding with his brother Willy, where he remained until after the war. In the meantime, Josephus, Gustaaf, and Marcel were taken to Bergen-Belsen and Neuengamme in Germany, where they perished. Throughout this period, Elisabeth was responsible for ensuring that a continuous flow of refugees passed through her home on their way to Belgium. The van der Heijden family was renowned for its hospitality. Even in times of scarcity, they managed to supply food to the illegal guests who temporarily sought shelter in their home on their way to the border. On June 28, 1978, Yad Vashem recognized Dr. Eugene van der Heijden as Righteous Among the Nations. On April 2, 1995, Yad Vashem recognized Josephus van der Heijden, his wife, Elisabeth van der Heijden, and two of their sons, Gustaaf and Marcel van der Heijden, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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