Netherlands

Tolerance Turned Into Extermination

No Local Opposition

Jews settled in the Netherlands in the 17^th century. Religious tolerance was a common thing in the country back then. There were no major issues until the German occupation from 1940, which systematically separated Jews from the other Dutch population.

When the German administration took over, there were 140,000 Jews living in the Netherlands. About 80,000 of them lived in Amsterdam only. More than 34,000 Jews entered the country from Germany and Austria trying to find a safer place. They were mostly seen as refugees.

Germans did whatever they wanted in the Netherlands, facing nearly no opposition at all. The royal family and government fled to the UK. Since there was no major military in the country, Germans took over without any major issues.

Compared to other countries in the western side of Europe, the Netherlands had a high death toll. Overall, about 75% of its Jewish population was massacred in the Holocaust.

Items

Discover The Netherlands

Compass

Lodewijk Mossel was a navigator from Rotterdam. In January, 1942, he was evacuated to Amsterdam. During the next summer, he ended up in the Westerbork transit camp. From that point on, there are no more records regarding his fate. His compass was saved by his sister, who was in a mixed marriage and spared.

· Donated by the Faber family

Prisoner Of War Camp Currency

Dutch prisoners of war were housed in a few camps, including Stalag 307 in Dęblin, Poland. Prisoner of war camp currency was released throughout camps to renumerate prisoners for their work. This banknote was found buried in the Dutch area of Stalag 307 after the camp was dissolved. It was taken by Duif, a Dutch officer investigating the horrors of the camp after the war.

· Donated anonymously

Shrapnel

Rotterdam was bombed quite a few times throughout the war, both by Germans and the allies. Close to the end of the war, it was almost razed to the ground. The shrapnel was found by Edwin Stoepker and kept as a souvenir during the reconstruction phase. Some of it is still buried under the new city. His family found it after he passed away.

· Donated by the Stoepker family

Many More Items

Our collection has countless other items to display. We are currently in the process of saving donations to open a physical museum, so we can display the entire collection. Any donation through the button below will be greatly appreciated and can help us preserve the memory of the Holocaust alive. Thank you.

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Rebecca Aaron was the last Holocaust survivor in Corfu. May her memory be a blessing.

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