Willem Haak
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Klaas Haak | |
| Moeder: | Hindrikje Kort | |
| Geboren: | 21 OKT 1907 | Bedum |
| Overleden: | 25 Apr 1968 | onbekend |
| Beroep: | slager | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Haak First Name: Willem Date of Birth: 21/10/1907 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Male Profession: SHOP OWNER Place during the war: Thesinge, Groningen, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Thesinge, Groningen, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/9594) Willem and Antje Haak, lived with their six small children in the village of Thesinge (prov. Groningen) close to the city of Groningen itself. Willem had worked in a butcher shop owned by a Jewish butcher before he started his own shop. In the fall of 1942, Willem and Antje were contacted by a local resistance worker who knew of their anti-German feelings, asking them to temporarily hide a Jew. Thus, on November 10, Philip Knorringa, in his fifties, from the same village, was taken to the Haak home. With the help of the resistance, he and his wife had escaped from the Westerbork transit camp hidden in a fuel truck that entered the camp for deliveries. The wife was taken into hiding elsewhere. Philip was given a space behind the kitchen, where Willem and Antje had slept until then. It had a small window that looked out upon the back of the house. The children were not to know that an extra person was in the house. So, certain family practices needed to be changed. From then on the entire family slept in the living room immediately behind the shop. Towards dinnertime, the children were sent outside to play until the food was actually on the table. While the children were out, Philip Knorringa could stretch and was given dinner. By the time the children came back, Philip was back in his room. On Sundays, when there was special pudding as desert, there was often one piece missing something the older children sometimes questioned. One day, the oldest daughter Hennie, about ten years old, looked inside the hiding space from the garden and saw a man sitting there. Philip reported the incident to Willem and Antje, who invented a story to calm Hennie down. She was made to aware not to share her secret with anyone. In spite of the now increased danger, Philip was allowed to stay until they were all able to celebrate together the liberation of the area on April 15, 1945. On October 29, 2003, Yad Vashem recognized Willem Haak and Antje Haak-Pol, as Righteous Among the Nations. |
|
Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Antje Pol | geb. 10 Juli 1911 overl. 14 Apr 1990 |
| Huwelijk: | 15 Nov 1932 | Kloosterburen |