Five Brothers and a War

Jews in Holland

Of the total 140,000 Jewish population in Holland at the beginning of the war, only 30,000 remained by the end, meaning that 79% were murdered or died. Of the 107,000 who were sent to concentration camps, only 5,000 survived. The low survival rate has often been questioned, as it is far worse than some other occupied countries. For example, French Jews had a 75% probability of survival. A number of factors have been listed as causes of the “success” of the Nazi holocaust in Holland. • Holland was very tolerant, and there was very little ant-Semitism. This lulled many Jews into a false sense of security. While other nations saw large numbers of Jews emigrate to other parts of the world, Holland did not. • The physical geography made it almost impossible to flee. Holland was surrounded by Germany, occupied Belgium and the North Sea. Escape from the country, once the problem became apparent, was impossible. • The Dutch bureaucracy was superior to other European nations’. They had far better records that could be drawn from to determine the relative “Jewishness” of citizens. This was especially important in Amsterdam, because there were 80,000 Jews, and processing them was a paperwork nightmare. The good records made the processing far more straightforward. • Dutch police were actively engaged in helping run the country for the Germans, as a part of their job. They received income that was required for their living expenses, and they felt compelled to do a good job to remain employed. • NSBers were scattered throughout society, and had a rabid motivation to "rat out” those who were either unsupportive or actively resisting the Nazis. • There was an attitude in Holland that if the Dutch cooperated with the Nazis, they would be treated more kindly. • Bounty hunters were paid blood-money to hunt down Jews.

nazi germany

Five Brothers and a War

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