Wietske Veenstra

Geslacht:	Vrouw
Vader:	Wander Veenstra
Moeder:	Antje Popkema
Geboren:	30 MRT 1906	Terwispel, Opsterland
Overleden:	30 Juli 1973
Aantekeningen:	Last Name: Haan de First Name: Wietske Maiden Name: Veenstra Date of Birth: 30/03/1906 Date of death: 30/07/1973 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Place during the war: Beetsterzwaag, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Beetsterzwaag, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/863) Hetty Cohen (later Mahler) came to Gerardus (Gradus) and Wietske de Haan's home in Beetsterzwaag, Friesland, to hide at the end of 1943. From October 1944 on, a fanatical group of Nazis terrorized the area. This meant a large number of house searches while Hetty was hiding with the de Haans. Gestapo men would come at night and split into two groups, one to search the barn and cowshed and one to search the house. Hetty slept in a little room on the second floor next to the children's rooms. When she heard the voices of the Gestapo, she ran into one of the children's rooms and switched beds with the fourteen-year-old so that she was sleeping next to one of the little boys. The Gestapo checked the whole house and when they found nothing they began shouting that they knew there was a Jewish girl in hiding and that she had to be found at all costs. They began interrogating each child. When they turned to Hetty she began to cry "Mommy!" and they said: "Let's get out of here before they all start to cry." They threatened Gradus, telling him that he and his family would be killed, but Gradus simply told them that they had searched the house and seen for themselves that there was no Jewish girl there. The reason they did not find her was that although the Gestapo knew that there were supposed to be ten children they failed to count the sick baby asleep in his mother's bed. Hetty stayed with the de Haans for five more days and then members of the underground accompanied her to another hiding place. That same day, the Gestapo rounded up 19 Jews hiding in the homes of farmers in the area. On August 1, 1975, Yad Vashem recognized Gerardus de Haan and his wife, Wietske de Haan-Veenstra, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Gerhardus de Haan	geb. 14 Apr 1901 overl. 17 Juli 1984
Huwelijk:	21 MEI 1927	Smallingerland