Huizenrij met vijf(!) onderduikadressen

The fact that there were relatively many people in hiding in Oldebroek during the war can partly be explained by the actions of Reverend Otto Veening (1916-1964). Within a few weeks after his sermon in the church, the number of people in hiding in the area already exceeded 100.

Five hiding places in Oldebroek in a row

During the Second World War, there were relatively many homes and farms in Oldebroek where people in hiding had a (safe) place. It is very special that five connected houses in a row on the Zuiderzeestraatweg and (continuously) on the Feithenhofsweg hid Jewish people in hiding. In 1995, Henk van ‘t Hul, son of the residents of one of these houses, wrote a story about this.

During the war years, the houses had a different numbering than today. At that time, the homes were designated E 94, E 95, E 96, E 97 and E 98. These homes are currently registered with the addresses Zuiderzeestraatweg 29 and 31 and the addresses Feithenhofsweg 3, 5 and 7.

The old miller Helmig van de Weg lived at E 94 (Zuiderzeestraatweg 29) with his wife Johanna van de Weg-Aarsen. They hid four Jewish people in hiding for a shorter or longer period of time during the war: Sophie Northeimer, the couple Leon and Roos Trompetter and their daughter Lottie. Later, the Jewish Visser couple and their daughter were also given temporary shelter with the Van de Weg family. All four people in hiding eventually managed to survive the war.

Neighbor Hendrik Boeve ( E 95 ) was fully involved in the resistance in Oldebroek. He and his wife Hendrikje Boeve-van Loo hid the Jewish girl Enny Jacobs in their home at Zuiderzeestraatweg 31. From the Pentecost weekend of 1944 until November 1945, Sonja Zelewicz also stayed with the Boeve family. She had fled from Germany to the Netherlands with her parents in 1938 because of the increasing persecution of Jews. Enny Jacobs and Sonja Zelewicz survived the war.

The Van ‘t Hul family lived just around the corner, at Feithenhofsweg 3 ( E 96 ). Kurt and Kitty Mühlfelder-Troostwijk and their daughter Marlies went into hiding with Jaap van ‘t Hul and Petertje van ‘t Hul-Koornberg from March 1943 to February 1944. Kurt, Kitty and Marlies Mühlfelder survived the war.

Herman Wessels and his wife Jansje Wessels-Christoffels lived at the address E 97 (Feithenhofsweg 5). The Jewish couple Arthur and Dora Troostwijk-van Essen from Zwolle were hiding in their house. Arthur and Dora were the parents of Kitty, who had gone into hiding with the neighbors, the Van ‘t Hul family. There was regular contact between the Troostwijk and Mühlfelder families.

Arthur and Dora Troostwijk ultimately survived the war. The sons Leo and Maurits and their daughter Kitty and her family also survived the war. Son Menno was gassed in Sobibor on March 13, 1943, immediately after arrival from Westerbork. His wife Annie Troostwijk-Hijmans was deported from Westerbork to the Alter Flugplatz concentration camp near Lublin on March 10, 1943. She had to do forced labor there, but was murdered in Trawniki (Poland) on June 1, 1944.

Albert Fidder and his wife Marrigje Fidder-Spijkerboer lived next to the Wessels family at E 98 (Feithenhofsweg 7). Albert Fidder was employed by the Van Sytzama family on the Schouwenburg estate for many years. The Fidder couple had no children. In February 1943 they received Jewish people in hiding, the Zwolle couple Aron Keizer and Aaltje Keizer-Wallage.

During the period in hiding, tensions arose and continued to increase. The couple did not adhere to the agreements and threatened to endanger other people in hiding with their reckless behavior. When things threatened to get out of hand, Albert Fidder contacted the resistance. After careful consideration, it was decided to liquidate the Keizers. An extremely difficult decision to ultimately prevent worse.

The official date of death of Aron and Aaltje Keizer-Wallage has been set as February 29, 1944. Both of their daughters managed to survive the war by going into hiding.

Source:

van ‘t Hul. Experiences with Jewish people in hiding. Five in a row. In: Oldebroek in wartime. Shelter for strangers. Wezep, 1995.
van Pijkeren. Resistance & authority. A history of Oldebroek in the Second World War. Raalte, 2020.
from Norel. Elburg and surrounding areas in wartime 1940-1945. Memorial book. Raalte, 2020.
from Norel. Elburg in wartime. Website Arent thoe Boecop.
Haddock. Inside the gates. An account of two years of German extermination and concentration camps. Amsterdam, 2007.