Willem Hoekstra
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Willem Hoekstra | |
| Moeder: | Aaltje van der Heiden | |
| Geboren: | 20 Dec 1911 | Altenessen, Duitsland |
| Beroep: | mijnwerker | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Hoekstra First Name: Willem Date of Birth: 21/12/1911 Date of death: 11/11/1967 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: PROTESTANT Gender: Male Profession: MINER Organization/ Religious order: The N.V.- LTD Group (en-va LTD.Group) Place during the war: Hoensbroek, Limburg, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Hoensbroek, Limburg, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/4583) The Elburgs, a couple living in Leek, Groningen, were just starting a family when the war broke out in Holland. Karel Elburg was a key member of the Leek Jewish community, serving as cantor, ritual slaughterer, teacher, and community secretary. Their son, Barend, was born on May 19, 1940, nine days after the German invasion. In February 1943, the family moved to the Jewish quarter in Amsterdam. They were arrested on August 2, 1943, when Frederika Elburg was in her final month of pregnancy, and they were taken to the Hollandsche Schouwburg, from where they were to be deported, while Barend was taken to the crèche. The Elburgs managed to avoid deportation to Westerbork. Barend was taken to a safe house in Limburg, ending up with the Hendriks* family in Echt. Their baby daughter, Karolina, born on August 25, was taken by the NV to the van der Lindens* in Limburg on September 13, 1943. The Elburgs themselves were moved to the Hoekstras in Hoensbroek, Limburg, where they stayed until the end of the war. Willem and Wilhelmina (Mien) Hoekstra and their two young children lived near the Emma mine, where Willem worked as a trailbreaker, a very dangerous job that involved blasting open new passageways before cutting into the rock. This work resulted in his suffering from fatally occluded lungs. Mien had first been introduced to the terrible plight of the Jews when she visited one of her sisters in Enschede, Overijssel, who was hiding Jews. She decided that her family would do the same. They were Protestant but they helped their guests, who were observant Jews, to keep their ritual laws. Mien provided them with three brand new pans to cook in and as much fish as she could buy, even if this meant going to Amsterdam. Frederika Elburg, in return, took over the running of the household when Miens mother was dying. The ration cards brought by the Resistance each month eased the situation. One day, Polish mine workers told Willem about the camps in Poland and what was being done to the Jews there. During Passover 1944, Mien tried her utmost to procure large quantities of eggs and potatoes so that the Passover laws would not be broken. Only after much pleading did she accept money for ten of the 35 eggs she had bought on the black market. On March 1, 1990, Yad Vashem recognized Willem Hoekstra and his wife, Wilhelmina Hoekstra-Jonges, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Wilhelmina Jonges | geb. 1913 |
| Huwelijk: | 3 Feb 1933 | Hoensbroek |