Jacob Jan Zijp

Jacob Jan Zijp was van 1932 tot 1956 hoofd van de bijzondere school in De Wilp. Meester Zijp was in de bezettingsjaren hoofd van de plaatselijke ‘ondergrondse’. Door zijn toedoen zijn veel joodse mensen, Engelse piloten en anderen die gezocht werden, ontkomen aan de handen van de bezetter. Naast het ‘gewone verzetswerk’ heeft Jacob Jan onder andere vier geallieerde piloten helpen onderduiken, waaronder een Amerikaan, die op klaarlichte dag onder grote belangstelling neerstortte.

Jacob Jan en zijn vrouw Gerritdiena hadden negen kinderen en verleenden daarnaast aan verschillende joodse mensen onderdak. In 1944, tijdens haar verblijf bij de familie Zijp, werd een onderduikster ernstig ziek. Jacob Jan wist haar naar het Academisch Ziekenhuis in de stad te brengen, waar ze uiteindelijk overleed. Toen zijn huis begin 1945 omsingeld werd, wist Jacob Jan de onderduikers in veiligheid te brengen, maar zelf werd hij gearresteerd. In het Scholtenhuis in Groningen onderging hij zware martelingen. Hij werd naar een strafkamp in Wilhelmshaven gestuurd, waar hij wonderwel zes Wilpster vrienden ontmoette. Hoewel ziek, verzwakt en sterk vermagerd, kwamen allen na de bevrijding terug. Jacob Jan ontving van de Israëlische regering in 1975 de Yad Vashemonderscheiding voor zijn hulp aan joodse onderduikers.

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GEDCOM Note

Zijp, Jacob Jan & Gerritdiena (van der Haar)
Pursued by the Germans, Clara Cohen, a young Jewish mother, and her daughter Hetty (later Mahler) were forced from one hiding place to another between the years 1942 and 1944. Finally, in 1944, they arrived at Jacob (Jaap) and Gerritdiena Zijp’s home in De Wilp, where they were welcomed with open arms by the religious family, who believed it was imperative to save fellow human beings. Jaap and Gerritdiena, who had a large number of children, were members of the underground, as were a number of their sons, and all of them participated in illegal activities. The children, Gerrit and Bert in particular, were involved in distributing the propaganda materials that were dropped in the fields by British soldiers. As the principal of a Protestant school in Harderwijk, Jaap was able to take a little Jewish boy into his home and arrange for him to continue going to school. Before the Cohens’ arrival, the Zijps had also hidden a Jewish woman, and after she died while with them they arranged her burial. During the entire time Jaap was working for the underground, the Landwacht and the Grüne Polizei were searching for him. When, one day, they surrounded his home, he managed to get Clara and Hetty to safety but was himself arrested, beaten, and sent to Germany. After being severely tortured, he was discharged due to disentry and returned to Holland, where he continued his Resistance work. Once again, he took Clara and Hetty into his home, and the next time it became too dangerous he moved them once again to a safer place.
On March 2, 1975, Yad Vashem recognized Jaap Zijp and his wife, Gerritdiena Zijp-van der Haar, as Righteous Among the Nations.

original article: http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=40...
The version posted here includes edits from Nellie D. Zijp in 2017. She is a daughter of Jaap and Gerritdiena. There may remain some minor errors that Nellie couldn't verify since she was only eight years old at the end of the war.

GEDCOM Note

https://www.groningen4045.nl/portretten/jacob-jan-zijp-de-wilp