Dirk van Hemert

Geslacht:	Man
Vader:	Jacobus van Hemert
Moeder:	Wilhelmina Christina Brandt
Geboren:	13 Dec 1900	Haarlem
Beroep:		electrotechnisch ambtenaar
Aantekeningen:	Last Name: Hemert van First Name: Dirk Date of Birth: 13/12/1900 Date of death: 01/06/1987 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Male Profession: POSTAL WORKER Place during the war: The Hague, Zuidholland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: The Hague, Zuidholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/4401) Dirk van Hemert’s wife Bep of The Hague was Jewish, a fact the couple tried to keep secret for as much of the war as possible but which was discovered in the end. However, this did not stop them from giving shelter to a Jewish girl, Friedel Bergmann (later Aptroot), in April 1943. Friedel was born in Germany and came to Holland in the 1930s. In 1933, she met Christl van Hemert, who was then five years old, and a friendship developed between Friedel’s mother and Christl’s mother, Bep. During the war, Bep, who had false identity papers, kept in close touch with Friedel and her family, finding them each time they moved to a different house and helping them. When the Bergmanns received deportation orders and Friedel was ordered to report to the Vught camp in Holland, Bep offered to hide her. At first, Friedel’s father did not want to let her go into hiding because it would put Bep and her family in jeopardy, but Bep convinced him that she was prepared to take the risk. After her parents had been taken away, Friedel left her parents’ home, walked down the street with her suitcase, took off her yellow star, and followed Bep onto the bus to the van Hemerts’ apartment. Friedel shared a room with Christl and the two girls became close friends. Bep’s husband was an automation expert with the Dutch Postal Services. (After the war he was appointed adjunct-head of the southern Limburg telephone service.) However, he was dismissed from his job when it was discovered that his wife was Jewish and he then devoted his time to looking after Friedel’s uncle, Carl Bergmann, who was hiding with his non-Jewish wife, Mia. Dirk van Hemert took out library books for Carl and went to visit them every week to boost their spirits. In the summer of 1943, the van Hemerts took the two girls on vacation to Zeeland for some fresh air and to go cycling, despite the risk. When all Dutch citizens who were not Nazi sympathizers were evacuated from their neighborhood, the van Hemerts wished to send Friedel to a safe place in Friesland but she did not want to be separated from them and stayed. The family was forced to share a sister-in-law’s apartment in The Hague, and here they saved Friedel’s life again when they spirited her away to Voorburg during a raid. Thanks to the van Hemerts, Friedel survived the war, although her parents and her brother perished. On March 15, 1990, Yad Vashem recognized Dirk van Hemert as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Rebecca Velleman	geb. 1902 overl. 29 Apr 1963
Huwelijk:	30 Dec 1924	Venlo