Elias van Tijn

While Elias van Tijn's name may not be as well known as Anne Frank's, his actions during World War II are equally admirable. He held the post of school director at a primary school that was transformed into one of the eight Jewish elementary schools in the area during the occupation. In the early war years, the school still had numerous Jewish pupils, but by 1943 they had all disappeared. Elias van Tijn was also an active member of the Gerretsen resistance group, and gradually the primary school turned into a hotbed of resistance activities. Fake documents were fabricated here and gym mats served as hidden beds for people in hiding in the attic.

Elias himself lived in the shadows until he was eventually betrayed and deported to Camp Amersfoort. He managed to escape, however, and managed to stay out of Nazi hands during the period up to 1945. However, his freedom was taken away again when he was rounded up again and deported to Auschwitz, where he unfortunately did not survive.