Dutch Jewry

Description of the persecution of Jews in Holland (catalogue reference FO 371/42806)

Transcript

Information about Dutch Jewry

(May 1944)

There were 140.000 Jews in Holland at the beginning of the war (incl. 26.000 non dutch Jews)

Deported to Poland (including all orphanages, old-age homes, hospitals, lunatic-asylum Apeldoorn, and all Jews from Vught-camp excepting a few hundred working in Vught for Philips) 110.000

Bergen-Belsen  4.000

Westerbork   2.500

Theresienstadt 2.000

In hiding (estimated) 15.000

Married to Christians etc, deceased (all estimated) 6.000

(The number of Jews who are free in Amsterdam – there are none in the provinces – is negligible)

The ‘star’ of which I enclose one, had to be worn as from May 1942; the deportations started July 15th 1942 Up to December 31st 1942 40.000 Jews had been deported.

Wieringen on March 20th 1941 210 pupils (boys and girls with the Jewish manager) were brought to Amsterdam about 60 pupils and 20 people from the staff were allowed to remain in order to finish the harvesting of that years crops; they were allowed to remain until August 1st 1941 when the Werkdorp was finally liquidated.

About 60 of the pupils were sent to Mauthausen;

“ 100 were deported to Poland

“ 50 are still in Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen

“ 60 are in hiding.

The dutch authorities paid an indemnity for the property they took over; (although it were the Germans who ordered the liquidation; this money was used to keep two ‘Homes’ in Amsterdam for the remaining pupils until they too were finally dispersed in the great razzias on May 26th and June 20th 1943. The equipment of the carpentershop and the smithy and metalshop was used in trainingschools in Amsterdam and finally brought to Westerbork.

The following data were given to me in Vienna on my way through to Constantinople by the assistant of Dr Löwenherz who could not come personally;

Data July let 1944: Vienna Free Jews …   180

In hiding ………………………………………….. 2000

Versippte (Intermarriage etc) ………… 6- 8000

Sent to Theresienstadt 15000 (of whom 3800 still there)

Sent to Poland…………………………………… 48000

The rest (there were 2100000) emigrated or died.

9000 Hungarian Jews had come through Vienna on their way to Poland; 41000 were still expected. (We saw two transports of 1000 each, one in Vienna and one on the way to Hungary) 310000 jews in Budapest had not yet been interfered with.

Haifa, August 12th 1944

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