Roon de Joost & Antje (Elsinga)

Roon de, Joost Wouter & Antje (Elsinga) Carel Coltof, a bachelor, was involved in an Amsterdam-based Resistance group. Impending danger forced Carel to move to Rotterdam, where he met Joost de Roon, who also worked in the Resistance. Joost offered Carel a hiding place in his home. Joost, a shoemaker, and his wife, Antje, had two children, seven-year-old Cecilia and three-year-old Laurens. Joost and Antje treated Carel like a member of the family without ever asking for financial remuneration. Carel stayed with the de Roons from November 1942 until February 17, 1943, when he had to leave because an infiltrator had informed the Germans about the activities of the Resistance group with which the de Roons were affiliated. All the members consequently went into hiding. Joost hid in several places before being captured on April 6, 1945. He was imprisoned in Scheveningen, from where he was released on May 6 after the arrival of the Allied forces. During the war, Joost and Antje also looked after Max Rood, for whom Joost had arranged a hiding place with the Nieuwstraten family in Rotterdam. Max was married to a non-Jewish woman who was not permitted to know Max’s whereabouts. Once a week, Joost brought Max to his own home, where Mrs. Rood was awaiting him. Thus, the couple could spend a few hours together. In spite of all the warnings, Max and his wife took a train to The Hague. As soon as they disembarked, Max was arrested. He was deported and perished in April 1945. After the war, Joost and Carel Coltof remained in contact. As they grew older, they became closer friends. In 1983, Joost was honored with the Resistance Memorial Cross. On October 13, 1988, Yad Vashem recognized Joost Wouter de Roon and his wife, Antje de Roon-Elsinga, as Righteous Among the Nations.