Jan Hendrik Bleij

Geslacht: Man
Vader: George Louis Bleij
Moeder: Wilhelmina Maria Gerharda Bastiaanse
Geboren: 2 Juni 1886 Utrecht
Overleden: 1962
Beroep: machinist bij de Nederlandsche Centraal-Spoorwegen N.V.
Aantekeningen: Bley Jan (1886 - 1962 )
Personal Information
Last Name: Bley
First Name: Jan
Hendrik
Date of Birth: 02/06/1886
Date of death: 07/10/1962
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Male
Place during the war: Elburg, Gelderland, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Elburg, Gelderland, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/2736)
Commemoration
Date of Recognition: 24/11/1983
Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Tree
Ceremony held in Yad Vashem: Yes
Rescued Persons
Bouwman, Koosje
Bouwman, Lion
Rescue Story
Bley, Jan Hendrik & Jacoba (Westrik) & Dirk Cornelis In early 1943 Mozes and Sophia Bouwman of Haarlem decided to find a safe haven for their two young children, five-year-old Lion and four-year-old Koosje. They discovered an educational institute for children with learning difficulties called De Zwaluwenberg, in Oldenbroek, Gelderland. Not long after their arrival, the Bouwman children’s identity was revealed and their lives endangered. Twenty-three-year-old Dirk Bley was active in a local Resistance group when he heard about the presence of the children in de Zwaluwenberg. He also discovered that the German authorities were planning to search the institute. The evening before the raid, Dirk managed to get the children out of the institute and to hide with them in the nearby woods. Early the following day, he found them a temporary hideout, where they hid for about two weeks. Dirk then asked his parents, Jan and Jacoba Bley, if they would be willing to shelter the two children. They agreed, and Lion and Koosje were brought to the Bley’s home in the spring of 1943. Jan and Jacoba were a well-to-do couple living in Elburg, Gelderland. They took good care of the children, allowing them to lead as free a life as possible, considering the circumstances. The Bleys refused to accept any financial remuneration because they considered it their duty to save the lives of the children. The siblings remained hidden there until the liberation in May 1945, when they were reunited with their parents. Over and above his concern with Lion and Koosje, Dirk, who was an administrative employee at the Oldenbroek city council, was also involved in forging identity papers and registering false information in the city register about Jews who were hidden in the area. In late 1943, he also found a hiding place for Mozes and Sophia with the van Enk* family in Oldenbroek. On November 24, 1983, Yad Vashem recognized Jan Hendrik Bley, his wife, Jacoba Bley-Weserik, and their son Dirk Cornelis Bley as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Jacoba Westerink geb. 3 Feb 1891 overl. 19 OKT 1970
Huwelijk: 4 Sept 1913 Elburg
Kinderen:
  Dirk Christiaan Bleij Male geb. 14 Sept 1919 overl. 5 Dec 2011