Dirk van Ekelenburg

Geslacht:	Man
Vader:	Johannes van Ekelenburg
Moeder:	Jacoba van Roon
Geboren:	24 MRT 1917	Vlaardingen
Overleden:	11 MEI 1945	Neustadt Holstein, Landkreis Oldenburg Holstein
Beroep:		zendeling NZG, hulpprediker
Aantekeningen:	Dirk van Ekelenburg werd in 1917 geboren als oudste zoon van Johannes van Ekelenburg en Jacoba van Roon. Op 19 jarige leeftijd ging hij naar leiden om daar Theologie te gaan studeren aan de universiteit. Later werd dat de Zendingshogeschool in Oegstgeest. Daar werd hij voorbereidt voor uitzending als zendeling naar Celebes. Door de oorlogsdreiging in Nederlandsch Indië ging dat niet door. In 1941 werd hij benoemd als Hulp predikant in het Drentse Nieuw-Amsterdam. Doordat hij zijn fiets mocht behouden kwam hij veel bij de boeren inde omliggende veendorpen. Al gauw werd hem door het plaatselijke verzet gevraagd eens navraag te doen voor adressen om onderduikers en Franse krijgsgevangenen uit de, direct over de grens liggende Moorkampen, onder te brengen. Later kwamen daar Joodse medeburgers bij. Dank zij o.a. zijn inspanning hebben velen de oorlog overleeft. In 1944 staat hij aan de basis van een illegale krant, Luctor et Emergo, die hij in samenwerking met de plaatselijke boekhandelaar uitgeeft. Het krantje vind gretig aftrek in bijna heel Zuid-Oost Drenthe. Vlak voor kerst 1944 krijgt hij de mededeling dat hij moet onderduiken want de NSB is hem op het spoor. Hij, en nog een aantal andere verzetsmensen, vinden een plekje in een bejaarden oord in het nabijgelegen Schoonoord. Helaas, door verraad, worden zij daar, op 25 januari 1945, door de landwacht gearresteerd en naar de gevangenis in Assen gebracht. Dirk heeft een paar dagen samen met de schrijver Anne de Vries in een cel verbleven. Op 19 maart wordt hij, via Groningen, samen met het laatste transport uit Amersfoort op de trein gezet richting Neuengamme. Op 29 April vertrekt er een transport richting Lübeck en komt hij op de Athen terecht die een pendeldienst vaar met gevangenen richting de Cap Arcona. Op 2 mei vaart de Athen terug naar de haven van Neustadt met een groep gevangenen welke van de Cap Arcona zijn afgezet. De op dat moment rollen de eerste Britse tanks Neustadt binnen en worden de opvarende van de Athen bevrijd (?). Dirk komt in het Landeskrankenhaus terecht waar hij, ondanks de goede verzorging op 11 mei 1945 op 28 jarige leeftijd toch overlijd aan de verschrikkelijke ontberingen van het kamp en het afschuwelijke verblijf op de Athen. Hij laat een vrouw en twee jonge kinderen achter. Geschreven door Hans van Ekelenburg op 26-06-2016 monument.vriendenkringneuengamme.nl Last Name: Ekelenburg van First Name: Dirk Date of Birth: 24/03/1917 Date of death: 11/05/1945 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Male Place during the war: Nieuwlande, Drenthe, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Nieuwlande, Drenthe, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/1148) On June 9, 1983, Yad Vashem recognized Dirk van Ekelenburg and his wife, Lientje van Ekelenburg-van der Mast, as Righteous Among the Nations. (See Douwes, Arnold P.C.) Arnold Douwes was the son of a Protestant minister, and a rebel at heart. Early in his life, he had emigrated from Holland to the United States, where he was incensed by the discrimination against the American black population. He was deported from the US after he was arrested and charged with being a Communist for committing the “crime” of forcing the management of a restaurant in Chicago to serve a black man. His case reached the Supreme Court, where he actually won, but by that time he was already back in Holland and totally absorbed in the fight against the racist Nazi ideology. Throughout the German occupation of Holland, Arnold devoted his life to the rescue of Jews and others whose lives were at risk. He was among the first people in Holland to actively resist the Nazis, initially by publishing illegal newsletters and sabotaging German targets. He was also instrumental in forging identity cards, acquiring food coupons from the distribution offices, and securing the financial wherewithal for keeping fugitives alive in various hiding places. Arnold had commenced his activities in May 1940, and before long found himself on the Germans’ wanted list and so he went into hiding. In May 1941, he found shelter with Johannes Post* and his wife, on their farm in Nieuwlande, a small village in Drenthe. Over time, Johannes and Arnold became close friends and worked together in the Resistance. After being in Nieuwlande for a while, Arnold realized that it was an exceptional place for hiding Jews because of its geographical location and because the residents were especially cooperative. The farm became a base of operations from where Arnold arranged hiding places for Jews. When Johannes became a national leader of the armed Resistance, Arnold replaced him in his former capacity of rescuing Jews from Amsterdam. Arnold often spent hours convincing the host families to welcome the guests. He would promise them support with provisions and food coupons, as well as financial stipends. His connections with the LO enabled him to pay a monthly annuity for many of the Jews in hiding. Arnold’s methods were not always tactful. He would often ask for a place for one fugitive, yet bring two. He sometimes requested shelter for a small child, but would bring an older one. Arnold often got carried away with emotion and it was not uncommon for him to resort to shouts and insults. His confrontational methods, which reflected the extreme urgency of the situation and the danger posed to both fugitives and hosts, earned him widespread criticism. He was accused of bringing too many Jews to Nieuwlande, of being reckless and irresponsible, of placing everyone at risk. However, Arnold persisted with his efforts and remarked in his diary that his method “worked.” Dozens of people were often crammed in a back room waiting anxiously for a place to hide. The work did take a considerable emotional toll. Arnold was the “father” of his “onderduikers” and they were totally dependent on him. Despite the attenuated emotions, and although his methods were tactless, Arnold carried out his task with care and concern. He helped ensure that fugitives without enough clothing were provided for. He ensured that correspondence was kept up between dispersed families. He assisted in the relocation of anyone who was unhappy in his shelter. Throughout this entire period, Arnold kept a coded diary. Despite its being essential that his actions remain undisclosed, he updated the diary, which he kept hidden in the ground, every few weeks. On October 19, 1944, the Gestapo finally caught up with Arnold. He was arrested and incarcerated in the Assen prison, where he was tried and sentenced to death. On December 11, 1944, only a few hours before his execution, the armed Resistance succeeded in freeing Arnold and some other underground activists. Once free, Arnold was obliged to go into hiding. By this time, the hiding places provided by the Resistance had become unsafe and Arnold was compelled to relocate regularly from one address to another. In April 1945 he crossed the line to freedom in Coevorden, a nearby village that had already been liberated. After the war, Arnold married Jet Reichenberger, one of the women whose lives he had helped save. The couple moved to South Africa and a few years later they moved to Israel with their three daughters. In Israel, Arnold resumed practicing his actual profession, as a landscape architect. After 30 years, he returned to Holland. On March 23, 1965, Yad Vashem recognized Arnold Douwes as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Lientje van der Mast	geb. 8 Jan 1914 overl. 17 Juni 1988
Huwelijk:	21 MEI 1942	Vlaardingen
Kinderen:
	Cornelis van Ekelenburg	geb. 21 Dec 1944 overl. 28 Juni 1990