Jan Blok

Geslacht: Man
Vader: Dirk Blok
Moeder: Niesje van Wageningen
Geboren: 20 Apr 1913 Kamerik
Overleden: 9 Aug 1991
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Blok
First Name: Jan
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Male
Place during the war: Ijsselstein, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Ijsselstein, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/1605)
Samuel and Gucia Visser lived in Utrecht, where Samuel owned a lady’s fashion store. In the summer of 1942, Visser’s neighbor warned him that Jews were being deported and advised Samuel and his wife to go into hiding. Another neighbor came forward with an address in the countryside and the Vissers relocated to this hideout, where they hid for only ten days before discovering that it was unsafe. At the end of July 1942, with no specific destination in mind, Samuel and his wife left the place by bicycle. They stopped at random at the home of Jan Blok in IJsselstein, Utrecht. Samuel explained his predicament and asked for shelter and Jan immediately invited the couple in, with the silent approval of his wife (whom he later divorced). Samuel and Gucia adopted the names Piet and Riek. Jan used his own food coupons to feed his guests and never asked for any money in return. In order not to arouse suspicion in the neighborhood, he read Volk en Vaderland, the Dutch pro-Nazi paper. When some of Jan’s relatives came to visit him for a few days, the fugitives had to stay in the cellar and whenever guests turned up unexpectedly the Jewish couple hid under the kitchen cupboards, in a space no higher than about 3 feet. The Germans came to search the house on two occasions, but each time Jan had been forewarned and the Vissers were carefully hidden. When Samuel suggested that they leave the house so as to spare Jan the danger involved, Jan flatly rejected the idea. The Vissers stayed with Jan until the end of the war and remained in touch afterwards.
On March 27, 1979, Yad Vashem recognized Jan Blok as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Gerritje van Kempen geb. 1914
Huwelijk: 29 MEI 1936 Linschoten
Scheiding: 20 MEI 1953 Utrecht
Kinderen:
  Dirk Hendrik Blok Male geb. 1945 overl. 25 Juni 1946