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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-06-12, Page 19• ' the ' 'ee ky us t1 yon"` L 'Wej:� Berner , Wingbom Advapee. nxes, ,pied Mount Forest. Coafe dera.% fs ireazd .,by .33,200 people in the "hearfl lad Mithiresterla. 4134.00 Oa ;.tc'rea4ers :h eaeb of 1000 hakes!) !stale. oy rnment Published every and ,The irt The Listowel 'Banner, The Wingham Advance -Times Orest Confederate by Wenger Bras. Rimted. Cam:bric'ige resident Family relates of DutchUnd The tim ' is 1944, during the second world ar. The setting is a little house in the village of NiettwFand in the Northern "•Nethauds. The role you play is thc'mother or father of a family of four children. Your oldest child is 16 years old. The plot.is ready to unfold. It is 8 p.ni. You, your wife or husband a d oldest daughter are mem- be f the underground giving ai , persecuted Jews. You are jus preparing to go over some underground documents when yQu hear the roar of trucks' coming up your street.. Seconds later the butt of a rifle slams hard against your door. You look at each other in silence and fear. A silent prayer is said for your home, lchildren and those you protect. You all know that once "'O again the Germans have come. . Does it sound like the beginning of a sdary novel or movie? You are partially right. It is scary but it is not part of a play or novel. It is a piece of reality. A scene that will be, remembered over and ° . over again in the minds of a Cambridge Ontario family. Simon and Ida Dyk.of 1.8 Huron Street, Cambridge (Galt), risked their lives, th it ho ' , their busi- • • ness a ry s, ,: they had 'worked f ' to come t�+ the aid of _ the`.periecuted Jews-in1theaeeortti'µ world.war. They saved as many ,,as , ey could fro the gas ch . ber and th concentration c� +s. " Their daughter, Mrs. Francs Roa in Ca tin on.. e respon her parents. ekker of 92 Myers dge (Galt) was 16 nough to take f helping On;ay 27th, Mrs. Dekker sto+ A oudly beside her parents when the three of them were pre- sented With the Medal of the Just, an honor bestowed on them by the Israeli Government Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority. Persons receiving this award 6} are . bya special commis- sio Isra • Consul -General S uel Ovn • aid that the only o 1 er' Canadan to receive this a and in .197' wer' Mr. and Mrs. John Ubb' • of St. C harines. The awar + were prese ted to all recipients at a special ceremony at the Toropto Zionist Centre. "Nota lot of these medals have b n given out because, fortun- IP at y, not too many we willing their lives to save ews, in 'Europe," Consul -General ekOvnat was quoted as say- ing. •- lr. and Mrs. Dyk and their • daughter knew nothing of the 'award until they received a letter on February 27 of this year. It 4as written by Dr. Mosche, special commission chairman, • Jerusalem, a d read, "For the bravery and h an, kindness you showed in riski',';: y + ur lives in orders lo save Je es during the holocaust." Was the family surp ised at the award bestowed upon them? "We were: ver surpris d and hon- ored, said Mrs. ekker. "But we dcn't feel right to' be i - the foreground. We dick the work we rV felt 'ww had to do. It 'was our duty'.• Mr. and Mrs. Djk, now 75 and 73 respectively, were not avail- able at the time of the interview. They ' e enjoying a holiday on the,..'' est bast and were to return Lithe for `the presentation. • M ar4Mrs. Dekkerfelt badly tier, iarents were not avail- , able toP''speak with the press. "After all, all the responsibility ` inyolved lay on their shoulders. It • was becauseriof them that I be- came involved," said Mrs. • Dekker. A million questions t come to mind .while talking to the Dekkers. What was it like for the family during this time? How and why did they become involved in -kthis sort of work? Were they frightened? Ilid they ever quit? ` ► Mrs. Dekker tries to answer these questions as best as she can but slit', says that it is hard to remtnber exactly what went on at that time. She and her family have tried to put some of the past behind them and forget a lot of what happened. Need for Involvement Mrs. Dekker explained some of the background leading up to the need for her family's involve- ment. In 1940 the Germans began occupying the Netherlands with pleas for racial unity. It was the Jews who were persecuted first. Mrs. Dekker remembers that at fist this, persecution was done in a mild manner. The Jews were made,ro wear a six-inch star of Davit and were given a curfew. It wasn't Until some time later that Jews were segregated because "they didn't belong with other races". At an appointed time the Jews were made to stand infront bf their homes with a change of clothes in a suitcase and wr�e later,packed into trucks and to en away. There were a few Jews who did not obey the proclamation. They saw what was in store for them and it was thesews who went to a home like the Dijks, (now spelled Dyk), for protection. The Dijk's home in the village of Nieuwlande was a hiding place for tip to as many as 25 Jews at One time. = t rst4110y4ive4 with qs jyst like they were part or the family," said Mrs. Dekker. Later the Germans began making raids on homes and it was necessary to dig a big hole in the ground in a bush near their house. A roof was put over it and trees were planted on top for camouflage. The Dijk family felt strongly about helping the Jews. Mr. and Mrs. Dekker agreed that it was more than just believing in some- thing. It was a sense of pride for their country and a feeling of duty. Mr. Dekker had some strong feelings on this -Object. He claims that although Canadians say they are very proud of their country, he doesn't feel that it is the same pride which his home country felt at the time. He can see very few Canadians risking their lives for something they feel is right or wrong., He attributed this to the fact that Canadians have not been directly involved with a war for a number of years whereas the Europeancountries have experienced war and its effects quite often. Mrs. Dekker explained that members of the Dutch under- ground organization never really knew any of the other members. They may have known or suspected that some of their neighbors and friends were involy ,-brain eral-th . -{knew- !fid . � 's? ., ' very few. .It was necessary to • nce pound work keep quiet about these activities. "They made sure that we had If the Dijk family .had been: enough food for everyone," said caught, the penalty would have ' Mrs. Dekker. "We had to make been death. '< sure that we cashed the tickets in During the ,war, Dutch meal`:,' at different places, otherwise over 18 were taken to Germany Ulf '.,,-they would wonder where 'we got work in the fields and factories- ,so many and we would become This made the numbers seekrngy_ ;:suspects." membership in the underground,'/ : When asked what it was like to swell and almost every family, :`',live during this period and wit - was hiding a Jewish' refugee. ' .:ness some of the goings on, Mrs. Dekker immediately replied in a False Identification tense voice, "It was terrible, just .The Germans had a rule which terrible." required people 16 years of age, She recalls one incident which and over to carry an identifica.-' involved one of the Jewish men tion card. Mr. and Mrs. Dijk and r 'staying at their home. He had Frances carried false identifica- been oat late one evening and tion cards to ensure their safety,- Mrs. Dijk had become quite con - If they felt they were suspected, cerned. Shortly after he returned they immediately had their cards to the house, the German officers changed. appeared at the door and the A group in the underground'- : family watched in horror While movement known as the F.C.,,the Jewish man was inter- Falitfa,tion Centurn, was in rogated. , charge of stealing the identifica- - With his hands flat on the table, tion cards and papers. The Dijks his fingers were smashed with were fortunate in that one of the the butt end of a rifle. He was not young Jewish men staying with ° allowed to remove his hand from them was an artist and accomp- - the table and his other hand faced lished forger. The. signature of ' the same treatment if he did not the German District Officer of give the information the officers the area .was required on the wanted to hear. This was just the cards and he provided this. • . . • beginning of the torture this man As well as stealing identifica- would go through. tion cards`, the underground Mrs. Dekker shuddered slight - found ways of securing sufficient 7y and wrung her hands together. P food.rationing tickets for families can still see that man in front harbouring .laws. of my syee," she said. CERTIFICATE OF THANKS—Mr. and Mrs. Bert Dekker show thd, hand painted certificate of appreciation which hangs on their living room wall. When translated the message inscribe reads, "All people hidden during the German `Message. in Nleuwlande, render their 'tfi'aiks to Frouke Dijk. She understood the cares of those people and always she helped to ease these cares in spite of the danger in her task. Her courageousness set an example to other men and women" Mr. Dekker recalls some terrifying experiences as well. His family lived on a canal and he remembers watching a- Jewish man being questioned near his. home. "They had him in the canal, clinging to the side, and threat- ened to drown him if he didn't give them any information. Every time he refused. to give an answer, his head was pushed under," said Mr. Dekker. Mr. Dekker pointed out that some of the terrible tortures the Jewish people underwent still did not make them give out the name of the family or the place where , they were staying. The Dyks witnessed some very brutal and horrible things and perhaps this is what spurred them on. Whatever it was that kept them active in the under- ground, it /was strong. and never left them during the entire war. The family had many close Calls but never once did they consider quitting. Tense Situations Even though she was only 16 at the time her family was involved in this work, Mrs. *Dekker found herself carrying a great deal of responsibility and was often caught in tense situations. She remembers one day in particu- lar. She was a courier for the Dutch resistance and was carry- ing some forged and illegal papers in her clothing. As she rode her bicycle down the road she suddenly realized that she was almost on top of a German secret police checkpoint. Up until now she had been able to avoid these by taking detours through farmers' fields. She was too close and it would cause suspicion if she turned away now so the young girl decided to bluff her way through the blockade. When she rode by, the guards were busy questioning another cyclist. Later on they caught up to her and asked her if she knew a girl by the name of Frauke Dijk. They were looking for her. Close? Very, and Mrs. Dekker still feels nervous when she thinks about it. Mrs. Dekker recalls another time when it was necessary for her to stay with some neighbors. The people talked as if they were members of the Dutch resistance and therefore she spoke freely with them. Afterwards she found out that they were not and they had tricked her " into talking. Fortunately they did not report her. Everyone knows that it is not wise to tell a young child a secret because it often becomes dis- torted and the child tends to boast and may easily make a slip of the tongue. Amazingly, the Dijk family did not have a problem of this sort with the three young children in the family. Important discussions were carried on while the children were in bed and any Jew hidden in the house was referred to as an uncle visiting from another city. Mrs. Dekker felt that once or twice the chil- dren may have said something to a neighbor which cast suspicion on the home but there was no harm done. Homes Were Raided The lDijk's home was raided by the German officers at least three times. "Do you have any idea what it was like to have your home raided?" asked Mr. Dekker. He was sitting on the edge of his chair and his voice rose slightly. "How many do you think carne at one time? Do you think they were quiet and polite?" The officers were neither polite nor quiet. Fifty or 60 of them came to the home in large army trucks. They surrounded the house, making it impossible to escape. They pounded on the door with the butt of a rifle and if it was not opened immediately they broke it down. Officers poured into the house, overturning and ransacking everything, looking for documents or clues as to where or if there `tvere Jews —Crossro@d -,leo 12, 1; T 10 hidden. They left nothing un- touched and had no pity for any- thing. One evening the children were upstairs sleeping and Mrs. Dijk. started up the stair's, telling the officers tobe quiet as there were children -sleeping. She was promptly told she had no right going upstairs and was pulled down and shoved back. On another occasion Mrs. Dijk sat on some underground documents while the house was torn apart. By 1945 officers shot through the floors of homes every meter or so to see if there were Jews hidden underneath. Mrs. Dekker noted that there was one thing of which the Germans were terrified and that was a contagious skin disease similar to impetigo. Doctors and nurses and other professionals in the medical field were the most loyal and helpful to the under- ground. On one occasion a doctor signed a note stating that Mr. Dijk ' had the disease. Mrs. Dekker recalls 'the officers entered the house and when they saw the note they left immedi- ately. r\ If the Germans found a family guilty of working with the under- ground, the friends or relatives were not allowed to go to their assitance. A special . committee .. for the underground'wouldnake arrangements to free the person if they felt they were important enough. This group also looked after disciplining members of the underground who did things to endanger others. Whenever possible the under- ground members were given encouragement and guidance. Families were not allowed to have a telephone or radio but the Dijk family, like many others, had a radio hidden in the chim- ney. A radio station referred to as Radio Orange often carried broadcasts of the Queen or Prince, telling people what or what not to do and to keep up their spirits and fight the Germans. Mr. Dekker said that ministers gave clues or advice in their ser- mons which only members of the underground could pick up. It passed by others unnoticed. The minister would use certain words or phrases which were a code to the members. The German officers frequent- ly entered churches during a ser- vice if they thought that a person they were looking for would be there. Mr. Dekker found it ironical that the ministers would be giving information to the members while the officer walked down the aisles trying to search them out. The allied troops including English, American and Canadian dropped what was referred to as whirlwinds. These were pamph- lets which told the progress of the war and gave advice. If a person was caught with one in his hand he was immediately shot. The Germans collected these papers and burned as many as they 'could. When the allied troops realized the pamphlets were being picked up by the Germans and de- stroyed, they began dropping little plastic cards which looked like identification cards with the picture of the Queen on them. If they were picked up they burned the skin..Everyone but the Ger- mans were aware of this. The allied troops also dropped long ,strips of silver paper from their planes as they flew over. These strips of paper completely deadened the Germans' radar system. Necessary to Leave At the end of 1944, the Germans began visiting the Dijk house more frequently and the family felt endangered staying in their home. Once again, using false identification cards, the adults went to stay with relatives 90 KM away. A younger daughter who did not have an identification card was smuggled right past the secret police on a Red . a. wagon. One uncle was sent to .tom gas chamber's as.a result of the raids. Throughout the remainder : of • the war, the Dijk home was *O. as a police headquarters. -th the family was reunited after .. liberation, by Canadian troops, everything they yad was goner; Mr. Dijk had cork' his•own busi- ness and it, too, was gone. _) "After the war was over we, felt that something was,. missing," said Mrs. Dekker, "We had jived under pressure for so, .long and suddenly it was :taker away.'' Feeling that there Was more of a future in Canada, the Dijks decided to move here. Mr. Land Mrs. Dijk settled in Galt, -They were followed later' by Mrs, Dekker and their son -Dick Dijk. and daughter Theresa .Morbrook. of Brantford. Another daughters, Corry Haverkamp lives in Alin- ton. Still In Contact With Survivors The Dijks offered shelter fors many as 25 refugees at one bate and those • who survived the war . are very grateful -and still corres- pond with them. Three years :ago the parents returned to the: Netherlands and there they hada : reunion With some of the;.f wtsit people they , helped -4,-. Tta ears came f rom.all over. at 44etxt em at the airport. The couple was • presented with a gift of silver candlesticks. . _ . A Jewish businessman from New York who Was forced to stay in hiding with the Dijks visited with them when they settled in Canada. The Dekkers and the Dyks have hand painted certificates of thanks which were presented to them by survivors in .1946, designed and painted by the same ,young Jewish artist who forged the names on the identification cards. Mrs. Dekker feels that this means much more personally to the family than the award they received from the Israeli Govern- ment. Mr. and Mrs. Dekker are very interested in politics and are loyal N.D.P. members. They are also very active in the church. Mr. Dekker finds it hard to understand why the majority of Canadians are apathetic towards politics as this is what deter- mines the way the country will turn. Mrs. - Dekker explained that they take such an active interest in politics and religion because of their past. "We feel it is very important to try hard to have a good gdvern- ment here so that the kind of thing that happened in Europe in the 1930's will not happen here," she said. Mr. Dekker said that faith and prayer were what many people relied on during the war and as a result religion plays an important role in their lives. The Consul -General of the Netherlands and other dignitar- ies attended the ceremonies in Toronto on May 27. The Dekkers and Dyks also invited relatives and family friends including their local provincial and federal member of parliament. Professor Emil Fackenheim, a philosopher of the University of Toronto gave a talk on the period of occupation and expressed appreciation to the five recipi- ents. Mr. and Mrs. Dekker tried to remember events which took place and to relate them so that they could be recorded on paper to inform others of what their lives were like. Somehow it is n ,t enough. No matter how well the story is written, it could never make the reader feel the fear and pressures that the Dijk family experienced, or portray the scenes which they lived through. For the fears, anxieties a,vil cruelty this family suffered, the Jewish people can only give a small token in the form off gifts. and awards to represent the deep gratitude they must feel.