Meindert Haagsma
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Thomas Haagsma | |
| Moeder: | Tetje Ringia | |
| Geboren: | 18 Juni 1918 | Beetgum |
| Religie: | Ned. Hervormd | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Haagsma First Name: Meindert Date of death: 08/10/1993 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Male Place during the war: Leeuwarden, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Leeuwarden, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/7804) On July 6, 1943, a courier brought four-and-a-half-year-old Joop Gobes to the home of Thomas and Tetje Haagsma in Leeuwarden, Friesland. The Haagsmas were committed socialists who, despite their poor circumstances, considered it their duty to help people in need. Their second son, Meindert, had been a member of the Labor Youth Federation (AJC) and later joined the peace movement of the Mennonites. Through the latter organization, he came into contact with the Work Group against Military Service. Meindert's task was to find hiding places for refugees. Joop Gobes had been hospitalized in the Jewish Hospital in Amsterdam for three months. His parents, who worked in the hospital, told the Haagsmas not to worry if the boy complained about all sorts of pains, since he had been taught to pretend he was ill. Twenty-three-year-old Wijke Haagsma (later Tichelaar) effectively became Joop's foster mother while Thomas and Tetje took on the role of grandparents. Although he had a distinctive Jewish appearance, Joop was allowed into the street, where he soon picked up the Friesian language. He could not attend school, but Wijke taught him reading, writing, and arithmetic at home. All the neighbors knew the truth and there was always someone to pull Joop inside if German soldiers appeared in the street. At one point, Thomas and Meindert Haagsma feared that the Germans would draft them for forced labor in Germany. They decided to go into hiding with Thomas's parents and took Tetje and Joop with them. Thomas Haagsma, who had been working for various local farmers, found a job as a street sweeper, which he kept until his retirement. Joop's parents were murdered in Auschwitz. After the war, his uncle and aunt took him in and gave him a Jewish upbringing. On October 9, 1997, Yad Vashem recognized Thomas Haagsma, his wife, Tetje Haagsma-Ringia, and their children, Meindert Haagsma and Wijke Tichelaar-Haagsma, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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