Veenstra Ritske & Immigje (Stelma)

Veenstra, Ritske Veenstra-Stelma, Immigje Ritske and Immigje Veenstra from the village of Wijntjeterp (prov. Friesland) had three young children in the ages of one to five who were all at home during the day. They lived on a small farm at some distance from the village center. The family was strictly Calvinist (Gereformeerd). Upon the deportation of the Jews starting in the summer of 1942, the Veenstras agreed to take into hiding the Jewish couple Isaac and Esther van Kollem. In late 1943, they also welcomed nine-year-old Ruth Jurgrau, who had to leave an earlier hiding address with Jan and Alida Vos* in Groningen. Ruth, already answering to the name Liesje, soon became part of the Veenstra family as the big sister for the Veenstra children. However, by the end of 1943, when Ruth’s father was arrested while in hiding with Dr. Homme Poort*, the danger of disclosure of her whereabouts became too great and Ruth was moved on. After being moved to some more hiding addresses, with Matheus van der Laan* and Elisabeth Magnin*, she came to the family of Dirk Oppedijk*, also in Friesland, where she stayed until the liberation. From August 1944 until the liberation of the area in April 1945, the Veenstras also hid 14-year-old Julia van der Velde (later, Izaks). She helped out with household chores and was given a place in the attic. Julia was to stay around the house away from public view at all times. In addition, the Veenstras gave shelter to a 20-year-old Gentile Dutchman named Piet, who had fled a German-run work camp in the Netherlands, and arranged for him to sleep in the haystack. Once, during Julia’s stay, German soldiers came to the area, specifically looking for Veenstra men who were dodging forced labor in Germany. Ritske and Piet ran into the fields, and Julia hid in the house. Luckily the soldiers ended their search of the area at the neighboring farm where others also named Veenstra were living. On May 2, 2004, Yad Vashem recognized Ritske Veenstra andImmigje Veenstra-Stelma, as Righteous Among the Nations.