Willem Arend Engel

Geslacht:	Man
Vader:	Frederik Hendrik Engel
Moeder:	Antje Bakker
Geboren:	13 OKT 1903	Koog aan de Zaan
Beroep:		tekenleraar
Aantekeningen:	Last Name: Engel First Name: Willem Arend Alias: WIM Title: DR. Date of Birth: 03/10/1903 Date of death: 10/01/2000 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Male Profession: HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER Place during the war: Dordrecht, Zuidholland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Dordrecht, Zuidholland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/1276) Dr. Willem (Wim) Engel, his wife, Antonia (Tony), and their two sons, aged 11 and three, lived in Dordrecht, South Holland. Wim was a high school teacher and Tony was a painter. They had hidden a Jewish girl for a short time and, when asked by the underground to hide another, they agreed and took in Yaffa Lager (later Klein), who was brought to them by Marijke Beekhuijzen-Lels*, a member of the underground. Yaffa stayed with them until the end of the war. In her testimony to Yad Vashem, Yaffa recalled the good relationship she had with the family. She was treated like a daughter, although officially she was registered as their housemaid. She was practically never allowed to leave the house but sometimes hung laundry outside, which aroused the suspicion of the neighbors, who speculated about her Jewishness. Tony always denied their suspicions vehemently. Their eldest son also thought it was strange that the maid was always in the house, but they made up an explanation rather than telling him that Yaffa was actually a Jewish girl in hiding. In her testimony, Yaffa also recollected the time when a policeman came to search the house, but concentrated on the men and did not notice her. After they had left, Yaffa, Wim, and Tony burst into tears: they understood what danger they had just escaped. On January 4, 1978, Yad Vashem recognized Willem Arend Engel and his wife, Antonia Jacoba Engel-Bolkestein, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Antonia Jacoba Bolkestein	geb. 10 Sept 1903
Huwelijk:	1 Sept 1931	Amsterdam