Hougen Helga

Hougen, Bjørn Hougen, Torbjørg Hougen, Helga Hougen, Helga In the early morning of October 26, 1942, Håkon Laksov, b.1911, a lawyer and father of two-year-old Dan, was arrested along with the other Jewish men in Oslo, among them four relatives, brothers of his wife Amalie (née Dotten). The Laksov family’s assets were frozen, and from then on Amalie had to report to the local police on a daily basis. She brought a blanket for her husband to no avail, and never got to see him again. Håkon was deported on November 26, 1942 to Stettin (Szczecin), Poland, aboard the SS Donau and then by train to Auschwitz where he was later murdered. Early in the morning of that same day, Amalie was warned by a person she had never seen before, probably a member of the underground, about the imminent general arrest of the remaining Jews in Oslo, and said she should leave her apartment. Amalie took her son, Dan, out of his bed and went upstairs to Bjørn and Torbjørg Hougen. Amalie’s housekeeper, Olava, had talked with the housekeeper of the Hougen family who in turn let Amelie know that she could count on their help, if needed. Bjørn was a professor at the university of Oslo and Torbjørg was at home with their son, Pål, b.1930. Amalie and Dan were immediately brought to Bjørn Hougen’s sister Helga for some days and then to his cousin, also by the name, Helga Hougen. Meanwhile, Bjørn who was a member of the Norwegian Underground*, arranged for mother and child to be sent on to Sweden. Indeed, about a week after their arrival at cousin Helga’s, a member of the Underground contacted them and took both to the border with neutral Sweden. Both Amelie and her son Dan Laksov survived thanks to the Hougen family. On October 27, 2002, Yad Vashem recognized Bjørn and Torbjørg Hougen, as well as Helga Hougen and Helga Hougen as Righteous Among the Nations.