Hillechien Bolwijn

Geslacht: Vrouw
Vader: Engel Bolwijn
Moeder: Sieuwke Witteveen
Geboren: 14 Feb 1927
Aantekeningen: Bolwijn Hillechien (1927 - ? )
Personal Information
Last Name: Bolwijn
First Name: Hillechien
Alias: HILLIE
Date of Birth: 14/02/1927
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Religion: CALVINIST
Gender: Female
Place during the war: Nieuwlande, Drenthe, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Nieuwlande, Drenthe, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding
Supplying basic goods
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/1631)
Commemoration
Date of Recognition: 28/06/1979
Righteous Commemorated with Tree/Wall of Honor: Wall of Honor
Ceremony organized by Israeli diplomatic delegation in: The Hague, Netherlands
Rescued Persons
Wartman, Raay de, Mia, Miriam
Gans, Lou
Reichenberger, Jet
Rescue Story
Bolwijn, Engel & Sieuwke (Witteveen) & Hillechien When the war broke out, the Bolwijns, a large family, were living in Nieuwlande, Drenthe, a village that later became renowned for its commitment to the Resistance and to rescuing Jews from Nazi persecution. Engel, the village baker, and Sieuwke were extremely pious Calvinists and had ten children. Since Sieuwke was sickly and stayed in bed most of the time, the eldest daughter, Hillechien (Hillie), who was 16 in 1943, was in charge of the household. A 16-year-old Jewish girl, Mia de Raay (later Miriam Wartman), joined the household in the fall of 1943 and helped Hillie manage the home, clean, and do the laundry. There were already others hiding in the house, including Lou Gans of Amsterdam and Arnold Douwes’s* future wife. In 1944, when the Nazi oppression was intensifying with ever-increasing force against Holland and Dutch Jewry, those hiding in the Bolwijn home left to hide in the forest. During this period, Hillie brought them food every day, walking all the way and putting her own life at risk. The Bolwijn family was extremely devout and, in addition to observing all religious rituals and studying Bible, they went to church twice on Sundays, taking Mia with them. On Mondays they had religious instruction at their home for all the local Jews, of which there were many. This was rather hard on Mia and consequently her mother turned to Arnold Douwes for help in finding another home for her. Mia left the Bolwijns in May 1944 and moved to another Nieuwlande family. Hillie continued to hide Jews and, on one occasion, when the Germans searched the house, saved Lou Gans’s life by pushing him on top of her father’s big bread oven. The Bolwijns gave all their assistance for free, never receiving any money for their activities. On June 28, 1979, Yad Vashem recognized Engel Bolwijn, his wife, Sieuwke Bolwijn-Witteveen, and their daughter, Hillechien Bolwijn, as Righteous Among the Nations.