Hoitink Johannes & Johanna (Fles)

Hoitink, Johannes Lambertus & Johanna Wilhelmina (Fles) The Roelofsen* family of Aalten, Gelderland had been hiding Eveline Leeser, her husband, and her eight-year-old son, Jozeph, for a short while. Then their neighbors, Johan and Johanna Hoitink, whose house shared the same roof, told the Roelofsens that they heard a lot of talking and laughing through the wall. The Roelofsens confessed that they were hiding Jews, and even though Johan and Johanna were very frightened, especially since their street had a large number of NSB members living in it, they had their son Johannes help them dig a hideout under the bedroom. In December 1944, Janne Roelofson fell ill. To avoid embarrassing questions from doctors and other visitors, the Leesers, who had been occupying her bedroom, moved temporarily into the attic. However, it was so cold that daughter Riek Roelofsen asked Johan and Johanna if they would shelter the fugitives until her mother recovered. The Hoitinks agreed and a passage was constructed in the attic through which the Leesers could move from one house to the other. However, the Leesers were soon moved to the Hoitinks’ son, where they remained until Riek’s mother recovered, when they moved back in to the Roelofsens’ home. On May 3, 1982, Yad Vashem recognized Johannes Lambertus Hoitink and his wife, Johanna Wilhelmina Hoitink-Fles, as Righteous Among the Nations.