Watte van der Goot

Geslacht:	Man
Vader:	Klaas van der Goot
Moeder:	Dieuwke Piersma
Geboren:	12 JANUARI 1911	Sneek
Overleden:	25 MRT 1993	Sneek
Aantekeningen:	Last Name: Goot van der First Name: Watte Date of Birth: 12/07/1910 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Male Place during the war: Sneek, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Sneek, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding, Other File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/2802) Watte and Alida van der Goot lived with their children, aged five and two, in Sneek, Friesland. On October 3, 1942, they were asked to shelter an eight-year-old Jewish boy, Harry Hes, from Zwolle. Watte and Alida took the boy into their home. Harry acquired a new name, Piet van den Berg, and was introduced as the son of a distant relative whose mother had become seriously ill and could no longer take care of him. Initially, Watte and Alida taught the child at home. Later on, he began to attend a local school. The headmaster, Dirk Zuiderveld*, was made aware of the child’s true identity and thus became a partner to the subterfuge. Watte and Alida treated Harry like one of their own children. They provided him with a happy family life even though they seldom had much to share. Harry participated fully in the household, from chores to religious education to playing outdoors. Sometimes, Harry was forced to hide in a closet during house searches for Jews and Resistance workers. For some of the time that Harry was living in the van der Goots’ home, his parents were hiding nearby, at the Zuidervelds. Watte and Alida made sure that they were regularly informed about their son’s progress. Over and above sheltering Harry, during the war Watte took part in various underground activities, including organizing secret meetings and hiding weapons. Also, in 1943, Alida temporarily hid and cared for a nine-month-old infant who needed to be nursed back to health before being transferred to a permanent shelter. Harry stayed with Watte and Alida until the liberation. After the war, he returned to his parents, but he maintained a regular correspondence with the van der Goots. On March 29, 1984, Yad Vashem recognized Watte van der Goot and his wife, Alida van der Goot-Krijnen, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Alida Krijnen	geb. 11 Juli 1910 overl. 9 Aug 2002
Huwelijk:	24 MEI 1937	Sneek
Kinderen:
	Dieuwke van der Goot	geb. 1938
	Johannes Frans van der Goot	geb. 1947