Joop Westerweel (25 January 1899,

Zutphen Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river IJssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in the 11th centur ...

– 11 August 1944,

Vught Vught () is a municipality and a town in the Province of North Brabant in the southern Netherlands, and lies just south of the industrial and administrative centre of 's-Hertogenbosch. Many commuters live there, and in 2004 the town was named "Best ...

) was a schoolteacher, a non-conformist socialist and a Christian anarchist who became a Dutch World War II resistance leader, the head of the Westerweel Group. Westerweel, along with Joachim Simon and other Jewish colleagues, helped save around 200 to 300 Jews by organizing an escape route, smuggling Jews through

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and on into neutral

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. He was arrested on 10 March 1944, after leading a group of Jewish children to safety in Spain, whilst on his way back to the Netherlands at the Dutch/Belgian border. He was executed at

Herzogenbusch concentration camp Herzogenbusch (; ) was a Nazi concentration camp located in Vught near the city of 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The camp was opened in 1943 and held 31,000 prisoners. 749 prisoners died in the camp, and the others were transferred to othe ...

in August 1944.

Legacy

The Joop Westerweel Park in Israel was named in memory of Westerweel. Several streets in the Netherlands are named after Westerweel, in Heemskerk, Montfoort, Rotterdam, and Vlaardingen. In Amsterdam, a public primary school is named after Westerweel. Along with his wife, in 1964 Joop received the Yad-Vashem award.

Family

The Dutch television presenter Bas Westerweel is Joop Westerweel's grandchild.http://www.verreverwanten.nl/afleveringen/serie%203/verre%20verwanten%20van%20bas%20westerweel%20en%20jessica%20van%20andel/2076.html

References

External links

Teachers Who Rescued Jews During the Holocaust
Yad Vashem
ONA SIMAITE, JOOP WESTERWEEL, IRENA SENDLEROWA
USHMM 1889 births 1944 deaths 20th-century anarchists Anarcho-pacifists Christian anarchists Deaths by firearm in the Netherlands Dutch anarchists Dutch Christians Dutch people executed by Nazi Germany Dutch people executed in Nazi concentration camps Dutch people who died in Nazi concentration camps Dutch resistance members Dutch Righteous Among the Nations Executed anarchists People from Zutphen Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany {{Anarchist-stub

Legacy

Family

See also

References

Further reading

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