#Story

Children of the Hollow

In a wooden cabin on the edge of the Sallandse Heuvelrug in Nijverdal, five Jewish girls were in hiding in 1944, together with their protector Jaap Musch, one of the founders of the Dutch Resistance Organization NV. Jaap had taught the girls to run into the woods as fast as they could if there was any danger.

Four Jewish girls—Lea, Henny, Greetje, and Ronny—were hiding in a wooden hut near a sand pit in Nijverdal. A fifth girl named Ellie later joined them temporarily. The girls were cared for by Jaap Musch, one of the founders of the Dutch Resistance Organization NV.
Another Jewish girl, Rosie, was hiding elsewhere in Nijverdal but regularly visited the cabin to see her peers.

Jaap and the other NV helpers made sure the girls could lead a relatively normal and carefree life—as carefree as a Jewish child’s life could be under the circumstances. The cabin was well hidden from the outside world, allowing the children a certain degree of freedom during the occupation. They sang and danced, and the sand pit was a fantastic playground for them.

Jaap taught the girls to run into the woods as fast as they could in case of danger. He also used his time to work on plans for a communal home for all Jewish children who would be orphaned by the end of the war.

In September 1944, by a cruel twist of fate, the hideout of Jaap Musch and the girls was discovered. Thanks to Jaap’s training, the girls managed to escape in time and hide in the forest. Through the heroic actions of a boy from Nijverdal named Henny Rijks, the children were eventually brought to safety.

Jaap Musch, sadly, did not survive. To buy the girls time to flee, he stayed behind at the hut, where he was arrested. He was taken to a prison camp, where he was brutally tortured and shot to death. However, he never revealed a single word about "his" girls or the resistance work.

Thanks to other NV members, including Nijverdal native Herman Flim, the children were placed in other hiding locations, first elsewhere in the region and later again in Nijverdal.

On Monday, April 9, 1945, Nijverdal was liberated by the Canadians. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the NV members, Lea, Henny, Greetje, Ronny, Ellie, and Rosie lived to see that liberation and were spared the cruel fate of the concentration camps.

Bonteweg 7441 GM Nijverdal

Photos