Broer Jan

Broer, Jan Avraham Jan Broer, a postal worker from Vught, North Brabant, found himself in a peculiar position. He was married to a Jewish woman and they had three young children. When his wife and children were subjected to increasingly suffocating restrictions, he initially managed to have them exempted to a certain extent. However, by 1943 they could no longer escape the German edicts. In June of that year, Jan was fired from his government job for being married to a Jewish woman. When it became clear to him that the Jews were being rounded up for transport to the east, Jan decided to take no more chances. He made his wife remain indoors all day long so that neighbors who knew her were not provoked to inform and strangers did not chance upon her. He imposed the same restrictions on his children. Jan then joined the underground and was given the task of locating hiding places for Jews. When relatives of his wife, Jo and Loes Stad, urgently needed shelter, he agreed to hide them temporarily in his home. They ended up staying there for two full years, until the liberation of South Holland in October 1944. The Stads were hidden under the roof of the house and even Jan’s own children were unaware of their presence for their first year. The Broers’ home was located near the notorious Vught concentration camp. Consequently, high-ranking German officers requisitioned a number of homes in the area, including the home of the Broers’ immediate neighbors. There was much activity in the neighbor’s home and thus he had to keep his hidden fugitives from arousing suspicions at all times. Over and above this strain, there were several house searches in the area. By some miracle, the Broers’ home was always overlooked. In 1955, Jan immigrated to Israel with his family. His firstborn daughter had already immigrated two years earlier to Israel. The family settled in Kiryat Bailik. Jan converted to Judaism and changed his name into Avraham. On July 28, 1979, Yad Vashem recognized Jan Avraham Broer as Righteous Among the Nations.