Johan Hubertus van Drooge
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Alexander Hubertus van Drooge | |
| Moeder: | Geelke Wiering | |
| Geboren: | 1 Feb 1911 | Deventer |
| Overleden: | 12 Sept 1991 | Borculo |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Drooge van First Name: Johan Date of Birth: 01/01/1920 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Male Profession: farm manager Place during the war: Twello, Gelderland, The Netherlands, Borculo, Gelderland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Twello, Gelderland, The Netherlands, Borculo, Gelderland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding Arranging shelter File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/11332) Helmuth Holzheim, born on June 21, 1913 and Caecilie (Cilly) Neumann, born on February 22, 1914, both in Germany, had fled to the Netherlands before the war, where they came to the Hachshara (pioneer training camp) in Wieringermeer (prov. North-Holland) in order to learn agriculture, as preparation for life in the Land of Israel. In the early summer of 1941, more than a year after the occupation of the Netherlands, the members of this program were ordered to relocate to Amsterdam, from where they were all soon deported to Mauthausen. All perished. Both Helmuth and Caecilia, however, had left the group before the transfer and ended up in Deventer, in the eastern part of the Netherlands, where they married soon afterwards. Their daughter Ursula (later, Meijer) was born in December 1942. Helmuth found work as a farming hand in Twello (prov. Gelderland). On his way to work he would pass the farm of Johan van Drooge, with whom he exchanged thoughts on the daily situation. In April 1943, the Jews of Deventer were ordered to move to Amsterdam, which the Holzheims did. When Helmuth went to say goodbye to the van Drooges, Sytske, Johans wife, gave him their phone number, to be used if and when necessary. In June 1943, with onslaught of the razzias in Amsterdam, an acquaintance warned the Holzheims to immediately flee. Remembering the offer of the van Drooges, Helmuth made contact and the offer still stood. Baby Ursula, now six months old, was taken to Johan and Sytske van Drooge, who also had a baby girl, Lysbeth, only two weeks older than Ursula. The two babies were presented as twins, even though Lysbeth was blond and had blue eyes and Ursula was dark and had brown eyes. The van Drooges made sure the babies heads were always well covered when outside, so the difference would not be noticeable. As was customary in the small community they lived in, no one asked any questions. Even during a house search, whereby German soldiers were mainly looking for Allied pilots, the secret was not detected. In January 1944, the van Drooges moved to the nearby town of Borculo, where sisters of Johan lived. The extended family asked questions about Ursula, but the van Drooges held on to the story that both girls were twins. When a refugee from the western part of the country, where there was no longer food, was billeted in their home, and she had visitors, the chances of discovery increased. Still, the van Drooges managed to stay clear of any problems, until collaborators moved in opposite their home. They did not believe the twins story, and made that clear. As a result, Ursula was moved on in June 1944, first to Sytskes mother, and then to other family members, until the liberation of the area in April 1945. Ursulas parents had been arrested in Amsterdam and had been sent to Westerbork, but were luckily not deported. They came to visit their daughter, and all three Holzheims moved in with the van Drooges until they emigrated to Australia in 1947. The families stayed in touch despite the geographical distance. On May 4, 2008, Yad Vashem recognized Johan van Drooge and Sytske van Drooge-Stoffels as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Sytske Obbelina Stoffel | geb. 17 MRT 1920 |
| Huwelijk: | XXXX | onbekend |