Willem IJven

http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=40...

Yven FAMILY Yven Willem ( ? - 1971 ) Visser Elisabeth (1925 - ? ), DAUGHTER

Rescue Story Yven, William Visser, Elisabeth (Yven) In 1942, William Yven was a poor farm worker living in Heerhugowaard (North Holland) with his daughter, Elisabeth, aged 17. He was a widower. In July of that year, a member of the Dutch underground, Bernard Berrier, turned to William and requested that he give shelter to a Jewish couple. This couple was Bernard’s sister and brother-in-law, Alexander and Henny Gans. William agreed and prepared a small bedroom for them in the attic of his home where the couple could live hidden from the outside world. It was Elisabeth who cared for them and attended to their daily needs. William worked for Mr. Jan Vader. In July 1943, William found out that a Jewish couple hiding on Vader’s farm, the Polaks, had been betrayed by local NSB members and were in need of an alternative hiding place. That night he came and brought them to his home by rowboat. Just after they fled, the Germans came to the Vader farm and intensively searched for the Jews. A short time after the arrival of the Polaks, the Ganses’ contact man, Bernard Berrier, was caught by the Germans and sent to Oranienburg. Although William was not afraid, the Gans couple decided to leave. Shortly afterwards the Krebs family arrived at the Yven home, on April 15, 1944. Despite the primitive conditions in which all of those in hiding lived (no running water, no heating, and no proper toilet), the Polaks and Krebses were most grateful to have shelter and refuge from the Germans. Both couples remained with William and Elisabeth until the liberation in May 1945. On January 13, 1987, Yad Vashem recognized William Yven and his daughter, Elisabeth Visser-Yven, as Righteous Among the Nations.