Jelle Flapper

Geslacht: Man
Vader: Jentje Flapper
Moeder: Dutje Bruinsma
Geboren: 5 MEI 1901 Workum
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Flapper
First Name: Jelle
Date of Birth: 05/05/1901
Date of death: 08/07/1981
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Religion: CATHOLIC
Gender: Male
Place during the war: Workum, Friesland, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Workum, Friesland, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Hiding
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/10505)
The Flapper family consisted of parents Jelle and Ludovica, both in their forties, and their 16-year-old daughter, Lina (later, Bosma), in Workum (prov. Friesland), where Jelle was a tailor and a member of the board of the local elementary school. They were Roman Catholic, a religious minority in this northern province. In November 1943, local resistance workers brought David van Dam, b.1937, to their home for hiding. David had three Jewish grandparents, and thus he was considered a “full Jew” by Nazi law. After his father Meijer was arrested and deported in the summer of 1943, his mother Henriette (née Mot) decided to have David go into hiding to avoid deportation. He first hid for a short period with a family in the town of Sneek, but had to leave due to the birth of a baby there. He then was taken by a local underground cell to the Flapper family in Workum. David, who thereafter was to answer to the name Deetje, was welcomed into the family as their own child, and was surrounded with much love. Neighbors and others were told that he was a refugee from the city of Rotterdam that had been bombed in May 1940 with the German invasion. It was mostly Lina who took care of the little boy during the entire period he was in hiding. The Flappers were keen on David’s education, and thus had him registered at the local school, thanks to Jelle’s personal connections. From time to time the Flappers also sheltered underground workers in their home, which increased the danger for all. David stayed with the Flappers until the liberation of the area in April 1945. After the war, he returned to his mother, where he grew up together with his brother, who also had survived. He stayed in close touch with his rescuers until their deaths.
On February 13, 2005, Yad Vashem recognized Jelle Flapper, Ludowica Flapper-Rijpma and their daughter Lina Bosma-Flapper, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner: Lodewice Rijpma geb. 2 Dec 1904
Huwelijk: 12 Nov 1927 Workum