Johannes Petrus de Graaff
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Bernardus Wilhelmus de Graaff | |
| Moeder: | Maria Lindeman | |
| Geboren: | 25 Aug 1887 | Haarlem |
| Overleden: | 16 OKT 1967 | Amstelveen |
| Beroep: | smid | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Graaff de First Name: Johannes Petrus Date of Birth: 25/08/1889 Date of death: 16/10/1967 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Male Profession: BLACKSMITH Place during the war: Haarlem, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Haarlem, Noordholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding Supplying basic goods File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/5057) In October 1943, Abraham and Else Schijveschuurder and their two sons, Joseph (Joop), aged 20 and Louis, aged 15, turned up at the home of Johannes and Helena de Graaff in Haarlem, North Holland. The Schijveschuurder family had been hiding with Gerard Kornmann* and his daughter, Alida, also in Haarlem, but were warned by a "good" policeman that they had been betrayed and would soon be detained. The Schijveschuurder family had known Johannes, a blacksmith, since 1941, when he had stored their furniture in his shop and agreed to hide their Torah scrolls and ark, so they turned to him for shelter. They arrived at Johannes's home and he took them in immediately despite the fact that he lived with his wife and three children in a modest apartment and that the presence of four more people would make it very crowded. Although the sleeping arrangements were awkward, the overall setup worked well---Else helped with household chores and the children all played card games together. Throughout the whole period, the presence of a fugitive family was kept secret. If people came to the door, the "guests" would disappear and remain silent. In December 1943, Johannes was stopped in the street and asked who was constantly peeking out of the first floor windows of his home. He realized that he had become suspected of hiding people and that the Schijveschuurder family would have to be relocated. Abraham and Else returned to Gerard Kornmann. However, Gerard was betrayed in April 1944 and neither he nor Abraham and Else survived the war. The two boys were taken to the van Oosten* family---it was meant to be temporary but they ended up staying there until the end of the war. Throughout the war, the de Graaffs never accepted any financial compensation for their efforts in hiding the Schijveschuurder family, or for other assistance they afforded Jews, such as providing ration cards for the Seeman family. The de Graaffs acted out of a feeling of human compassion and a desire to help people in need. On December 2, 1991, Yad Vashem recognized Johannes Petrus de Graaff and his wife, Helena Wilhelmina de Graaff-Bosman, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Helena Wilhelmina Bosman | geb. 4 Jan 1892 overl. 10 Aug 1953 |
| Huwelijk: | 26 Sept 1918 | Haarlem |