Jan Horst

Geslacht: Man
Vader: Pieter Horst
Moeder: Aaltje Ottens
Geboren: 29 Aug 1905 Eelde
Overleden: 28 MEI 1954 Groningen
Beroep: tuinman
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Horst
First Name: Jan
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Male Profession: GARDENER
Place during the war: Haren, Groningen, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Haren, Groningen, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/9883)
Jan and Geeske Horst lived with their two teenage children, Piet, 13 years old and Rieka, 12 years old, in the village of Haren in the northern province of Groningen. Jan was a vegetable gardener. One day, in late 1944, Carolina (called Carla) Blitz, b.1934, and her brother André, b.1937, were dropped at the Horst home by a resistance worker. The Blitz children had been in hiding with the Eckhardt family in Amsterdam. In the fall of 1944, however, with the severe shortages of food and fuel in the western areas of the Netherlands, the two children could no longer be fed there. Through the intervention of the Red Cross, Carla and André, together with other, non-Jewish children, were sent on a "Hungertransport" to farms in the province of Groningen, where there was food. It was only a few days after their arrival with the Horsts that it became clear to Jan and Geeske that Carla and André were Jewish, and they immediately understood that their presence in their home was a serious liability. The village of Haren had a high number of collaborators, and at first they thought that it would be impossible to hide their real identity. Yet, they decided to keep the children and they protected them for over half a year until the liberation of the area in April 1945.
On January 12, 2003, Yad Vashem recognized Jan Horst and Geeske Horst-Ubels, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Geeske Ubels geb. 17 Jan 1911
Huwelijk: 7 MRT 1931 Eelde