| Jaap Penraat | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 11, 1918 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Died | June 25, 2006 (aged 88) Catskill, New York, USA |
| Known for | World War II resistance fighter, helped Jews to safety |
Jaap Penraat (April 11, 1918 – June 25, 2006) was a Dutch resistance fighter during the Second World War.
Penraat was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was an interior designer, architect and sculptor of tiles and statues. He started his resistance activities by forging identity papers for Jews. Later he smuggled 407 Jewish people to safety from The Netherlands via France to Spain by convincing the Nazis they were slave laborers for the Atlantic Wall, on France's Atlantic coast. He was tortured by the Nazis but revealed nothing about his operations. After Penraat's release, he continued his activities.
In 1958 Penraat moved to the United States. Yad Vashem, the official Israeli memorial to victims of the Holocaust, awarded him the designation of Righteous Among the Nations and put him on its honor roll on June 11, 1988.
He died at his home in Catskill, New York at the age of 88.
References
- Forging Freedom - A true story of heroism during the Holocaust, by Hudson Talbott. New York, 2000.
External links
- New York Times "Jaap Penraat Dies at 88; Saved Hundreds in Holocaust" July 2, 2006 (registration may be required)
- Jerusalem Post
- Find A Grave profile
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