Zacharias van der Ven (1919) and Janny Dresden (1918) were imprisoned in camp Westerbork for almost three years. After the war they immigrated with their children to Canada.

Jack & Janny van der Ven

Zacharias van der Ven married Marianne Dresden on March 26, 1942 in Amsterdam. At the time Jack van der Ven worked in the metal industry and according to Nazi law he was seen as a Mischling, a child of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother. Janny Dresden held a job at a clothing cutter, but she also was very musical. In her youth she sang back-up on the radio and later in life she played the organ by ear. Janny loved to sing and dance.

At the end of the year 1942 Jack and Janny were taken from their home at the President Brandstraat in Amsterdam to camp Westerbork. Janny was deported to the camp on the 28th of November, just four days after her birthday. A week later Jack came to Westerbork, on the 5th of December, Sinterklaas-evening. In the next three years the couple were kept out of the transports to the concentration- and destruction-camps in Eastern-Europe. His status as a Mischling and her marriage to him, saved the lives of both Jack and Janny.

In July 1945, three months after the liberation, Jack and Janny left camp Westerbork. They settled in Amsterdam where their first two daughters, Yvonne and Elsje were born. In 1954 Jack and Janny decided to immigrate to Canada where daughter Anita joined the family. They settled in Laval West and were proud Canadians.

Jack van der Ven established a very successful foreign car dealership and body shop, St. Louis Garage, in St. Eustache, Quebec. Janny was his loving devoted wife who took care of the children. A superb cook with astute business sense, Janny also opened her own food truck business before this was fashionable.

After his retirement Jack specialized in restoring vintage sports cars. Janny learned to play golf, cards and computer games. Together the couple took great delight in their winters in warm Florida.

Jack van der Ven died peacefully on March 11, 2011 at the Jewish General Hospital in his ninety-second year.
Janny van der Ven-Dresden passed away almost three years later, on January 17, 2015 in her ninety-seventh year.