Jitske Tiesma

Geslacht:	Vrouw
Vader:	Sieds Tiesma
Moeder:	Lutske Wielinga
Geboren:	15 OKT 1899	Rinsumageest, Dantumadeel
Overleden:	24 MEI 1987
Aantekeningen:	Last Name: Haitsma First Name: Jitske Maiden Name: Tiesma Date of Birth: 15/10/1899 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Place during the war: Zeist, Utrecht, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Zeist, Utrecht, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/1062) Rosa Klausner and her two children, ten-year-old Ruth and four-year-old Harry, arrived in Holland from Germany shortly before the war started, with only ten German marks in her pocket. Rosa found refuge with her brother in the city of Utrecht. In 1942 she fell seriously ill and was hospitalized. In the hospital, Rosa met Nel van der Spek (recognized as Righteous Among the Nations), a member of an underground organization specializing in the rescue of children. Together, they made a contingency plan: they agreed that if danger seemed imminent, Nel would take Rosa's children into hiding, but for the sake of safety, Rosa would not be told where. Rosa had no alternative but to consent. One night, long after the 8 p.m. curfew, Nel came to pick up the children. She took them to Oepke and Jitske Haitsma in Zeist, Utrecht. The Haitsmas had three young children and were poor working class people. Nevertheless, they warmly welcomed the Klausner children into their home and shared their meager food rations with them. During house searches by the Germans, the fugitive children hid in a wooden box under the floor of the children's room. All the children were all forbidden to play outside or invite other children into their home for fear they would give the secret away. Once a year, the Haitsmas dressed up Rosa's children in disguise and, endangering their own lives, took them to see their mother, who was hidden in another city. Oepke and Jitske received ration coupons from the underground through Nel. The Haitsmas acted purely out of religious motives. Harry and Ruth Klausner stayed with the Haitsmas for two years, until the end of the war. After liberation, the Klausners immigrated to Israel. Ruth (later Zola) eventually moved to the United States. Harry (who changed his name to Arieh Oz) enlisted in the Israel Air Force and became a pilot. Many years later he explained that the decision to become a pilot was born during his time in hiding in the Haitsma's attic. "I saw the sky, and as I watched the airplanes passing, I became attracted, and decided that I would become a pilot.". On May 30, 1976, Yad Vashem recognized Oepke Haitsma and his wife, Jitske Haitsma-Tiesma, as Righteous Among the Nations. Oz fought in several wars, and on 4 July 1976, during Operation Thunderbolt (later named Operation Yehonatan), flew one of the Israeli C-130 aricraf to Entebbe in the hostage-rescue mission carried out by commandos of the Israeli defense Forces. In May 1991 Oz flew an EL AL Boeing 747 during Operation Salomon, a covert Israeli military operation to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel, when 35 Israeli aircrafts transported 14,325 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in 36 hours. When Arieh Oz' son had his bar-mitzva, he invited the Haitsmas to attend the celebration, and together with his mother turned to Yad Vashem and asked his rescuers to be recognized.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Oepke Haitsma	geb. 19 Dec 1899 overl. 5 MRT 1978
Huwelijk:	21 MEI 1924	Wonseradeel