Saakje Hiemstra

Geslacht:	Vrouw
Vader:	Gosse Hiemstra
Moeder:	Johanna Maria Hania
Geboren:	12 MRT 1922	onbekend doen
Overleden:	22 Sept 2012
Aantekeningen:	Last Name: Laan van der First Name: Saakje Maiden Name: Hiemstra Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Gender: Female Place during the war: Ternaard, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Ternaard, Friesland, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/2746) Ten-year-old Robert Jaap Meijer was living with his parents in Amsterdam in June 1943 when a big roundup of the Jews took place. An underground worker nicknamed "Aunt Liesje" took him to Friesland, where he hid with the van der Heide* family in Ferwerd until January 1944 under the name Robbie van Zijl. This hiding place soon became unsafe and the village doctor, Albertus Smit*, who was active in the Resistance, found him a new hiding place with the Hiemstras in nearby Ternaard. Gosse and Johanna Hiemstra owned a large farm on which they were already hiding 13 fugitives when Robert arrived, among them Gosse and Johanna's own sons, who were evading the call-up for forced labor in Germany. The Hiemstras' daughter, Saakje (later van der Laan), who was 22 years old in 1944, was also active in the Resistance and risked her life to help those fleeing the Nazis. The Hiemstra family was suspected of being involved in illegal activities and so the Germans often searched the house. During one of these searches, Robert, who was sleeping in one of the son's beds, was saved by the grandmother, who posted herself at the door and would not let the Germans into the room. Robert's false name at this point of the war was Robbie de Klein and his cover story was that he was an orphan. The Hiemstras never received any payment for his upkeep. Since the family was so active in the underground, staying with them eventually became too dangerous and he moved again, first to the Hoekstra* family in nearby Engwierum and, in January 1945, to his parents, who were hiding in the vicarage in Oldekerk, Groningen. They all survived the war. On January 12, 1984, Yad Vashem recognized Gosse Hiemstra, his wife, Johanna Maria Hiemstra-Hania, and their daughter, Saakje van der Laan-Hiemstra, as Righteous Among the Nations.

Gezin 1

Huwelijkspartner:	Egbert van der Laan
Huwelijk:	29 OKT 1946	Ternaard