Meursing Eppo

Meursing, Eppo Emmo Dr. Eppo Meursing of Dordrecht, South Holland, convinced Jacob Hendrik Kann and his wife, Dora Julietta, to go into hiding with their family. Four of their children were hidden in different places, but their daughter, Betty, aged 12, stayed with her parents. They remained in their hiding place for two and a half years. During this period, Dr. Eppo Meursing became their only connection to the outside world. He cared for them when they were ill, he visited the family to keep up their morale, and he supplied Betty with books so she could continue her education even while in hiding. During the war, Eppo, together with his friend Petronella Kwikkers*, also visited the other children and acted as a liaison between the family members. He risked his life every time he visited the family because the town where they were hiding was small and everyone knew each other and next door to where they were hiding there lived Nazi sympathizers. In early 1944, Dora Kann contracted tuberculosis and required hospitalization. Again, it was Eppo who made all the necessary arrangements for her. He made sure that she received false identity papers. When she was hospitalized in Dordrecht, Eppo visited her regularly and brought the family news of her condition. When it became unsafe for her to remain in the hospital, Eppo arranged for her to hide with Mrs. Struys, a certified nurse in Huizen, North Holland. However, when she learned of her husband’s capture, Dora’s health deteriorated and she passed away in 1944. Eppo buried her in secret. During the war, Eppo and his wife also cared for Ch. J. de Beer, a Jewish child, from August to September 1942. Because Eppo’s medical practice was in his home it was a dangerous decision, but the family cared for Ch. J. de Beer and treated him like their child. On March 5, 1984, Yad Vashem recognized Eppo Emmo Meursing as Righteous Among the Nations.