Hermanna Francisca van Geuns
| Geslacht: | Vrouw | |
| Vader: | Jan van Geuns | |
| Moeder: | Cornelia Marie Charlotte Boers | |
| Geboren: | 19 Jan 1915 | Amsterdam |
| Overleden: | 7 MEI 2002 | |
| Aantekeningen: | Blaaderen van Hermanna (1915 - 2002 ) Personal Information Last Name: Blaaderen van First Name: Hermanna Maiden Name: Geuns van Alias: ANNEKE Date of Birth: 19/01/1915 Date of death: 07/05/2002 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Place during the war: Laren, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Laren, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/11419) Commemoration Date of Recognition: 24/09/2008 Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Wall of Honor Ceremony organized by Israeli diplomatic delegation in: The Hague, Netherlands Rescued Persons Wertheim, Jaap Rescue Story Blaaderen van, Tom Blaaderen van-van Geuns, Hermanna ( Anneke) In the summer of 1942, with the start of the deportations of the Jews from the Netherlands to the camps in the East, Herman Wertheim (b. 1912) from Eindhoven, an economist who worked as a tobacco agent, and his wife Esther (née Rosenfeld, 1912), decided to find hiding places for Esther and their toddler son, Jaap, born on August 1, 1939. Herman intended to escape through Belgium, France and Spain in order to reach England and join the Allied forces. He did not succeed and later, as a result of betrayal, was deported to Auschwitz, where he perished on May 15, 1944. Jaap, called Mopsje at home as his pet-name, then just three years old, was taken by To Boelen (later, Bakker), a young woman who functioned as a courier for the student resistance, to the town of Laren (prov. North-Holland), a ride of about 35 kilometers. To took him on the back of her bicycle, bundled up as a package. Upon arrival, Jaap was taken into the home of Hermanna (Anneke) and Tom van Blaaderen, both in their early thirties. They lived with their two infant sons, Jeroen and Matthijs, on a large estate, named Steenbergen. Jaap was introduced as Mopsje only, and was welcomed as their third and eldest son. Soon he became fully integrated into family life, calling Tom, pappa, and Anneke, mamma. The estate was isolated from other residences, and the well-to-do van Blaaderens could make sure that there was no shortage of anything. Visitors were kept to a minimum. Even though there were many servants at the mansion, no one asked questions as to Jaaps identity; he was accepted as one of the family from the start. Yet, when Jaap once wandered off to German soldiers who were stationed close by, the van Blaaderens became extremely worried. The incident passed without trouble, and Jaap was able to stay on. Once, as the van Blaaderens were visiting friends, where they were served by the domestic help, the friends asked about the wellbeing of the van Blaaderen children and mentioned the name Mopsje. Upon hearing this name, the domestic help, who really was Jaaps mother, dropped everything she had in her hands. As Anneke then saw a resemblance between the woman and Mopsje, she drew the correct conclusion. She then told Anneke the real name of the boy, who from then on was called Jaapje at the van Blaaderens home, as well. As the van Blaaderens had their own vegetable gardens, there was always enough to eat, also during the winter of 1944-1945, the infamous Hungerwinter, when food supplies to the western parts of the country were cut off by the German forces. Jaap stayed with the van Blaaderens until the liberation of the area in May 1945. He was subsequently taken to his hometown Eindhoven, to his mother, who had survived in hiding. As he recalls: when ringing the bell at the Wertheim home, a woman, strange to the boy, opened the door. Hello Jaapje; welcome home she said but what did she mean? home was with the van Blaaderens in Laren! Jaap and the van Blaaderens kept in close contact after the war. On September 28, 2008, Yad Vashem recognized Tom van Blaaderen and Anneke van Blaaderen-van Geuns as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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| Huwelijkspartner: | Tom van Blaaderen | geb. 15 Juni 1910 overl. 16 Apr 1950 |
| Huwelijk: | 30 OKT 1935 | Amsterdam |