Hoftijzer Jan & Berendina (Hoopman)

Hoftijzer, Jan Willem Hoftijzer-Hoopman, Berendina Johanna Jan Willem and Berendina Hoftijzer, farmers in their early forties, lived with their two children in the village of Barlo-Aalten (prov. Gelderland). The oldest, Hanna, was around twelve and the youngest, three years old. At the beginning of 1943, an eight-year-old Jewish boy, Wim Abas from Rotterdam was brought to their home with very little clothing by an underground courier on the back of his bicycle. Wim was a very silent and shy child, who had been separated from his parents in the fall of 1942 and had since been in hiding. He had a very difficult time to adapt himself to his new situation. A contributing factor was that Wim was hard of hearing, and he was unable to read the lips of the Hoftijzers, who spoke a local dialect among themselves. As a result he felt very much alone. Wimpie, as he was now called, started to wet his bed. In spite of the love and care given by the Hoftijzer family, it was thought best to transfer Wim elsewhere. In the fall of 1944, he was taken to another family. At the end of the war, Wim went back to his parents, who had survived. After a yearlong stay in Denmark, organized by the group, “Save the Children”, he immigrated to Israel in 1955. He lost all contact with the Hoftijzers and, over time, he even forgot their names. Only after a long search did he reconnect with the daughter, Hanna, in the year 2002. On August 10, 2003, Yad Vashem recognized Jan Willem Hoftijzer and Berendina Johanna Hoftijzer-Hoopman, as Righteous Among the Nations.