Blom, Janny

Righteous Gentile
Amsterdam (Netherlands)

J. Blom was born in a small village near Amsterdam in 1915. She graduated as a teacher in 1934, when she was nineteen years old. In the same year she became engaged, and after marrying, moved to Amsterdam. She became a dental assistant for a Jewish dentist. At this time she met the Frank family, who were patients of the dentist. Anne Frank, the youngest daughter in the family, wrote the now-famous book Diary of a Young Girl.

When the Germans occupied the Netherlands, Blom offered to hide the dentist and his family in her house. The family lived in a very small room for three years. They read books and played chess during the day and came downstairs at night. The Bloms had to hide the existence of the Jewish family from their three-year-old son, in order to keep the secret. At this time, Mr. Blom became a captain in the underground resistance.

Because of the Bloms’ courageous actions, their Jewish friends survived the Holocaust and stayed in Amsterdam after the war.

Interview Information:
Date of Interview: June 18, 1986
Length: 50 minutes
Interview by: Esther Weine
Format: Video recording