The Dutch Resistance

On May 10, 1940, Nazi forces marched into Holland, and the country plunged into the danger and darkness of German occupation. Occupation threw the country into turmoil as the Queen and government went into exile. The lives of all Dutch people, Jewish and non-Jewish, were laden with fear. In the end, 73% of Holland’s Jews were murdered by the Nazis.   Of the 107,000 Jewish people deported to Auschwitz and Sobibor, only 5,500 survived.  However, of the approximately 30,000 people who went into hiding with the help of the Dutch Resistance, almost 2/3 survived. In contrast, in France and Belgium, almost 75% of the Jews survived. On the surface, it appears that the Dutch either aided the Germans or just stood by and watched, but this does not describe what happened. The truth is that almost 6,000 Dutch have been recognized as Righteous Among Nations by Yad Vashem (The World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem). This number of people is surpassed by only one other nation, Poland. Neither France (4,130) or Belgium (1,767) have as many people recognized for helping Jewish people.

Holland had many resistance groups comprised of people from differing backgrounds and beliefs. The primary organizations were from the Communist party, churches, independents groups, and students. These groups were extraordinarily successful. By the fall of 1944, an estimated 60,000 to 200,000 landlords and caretakers were harboring 30,000 people from German authorities. These actions were often known and tolerated by over a million people, including individual German occupiers.

Resistance to the Nazi occupation started slowly in Holland. The turning point for the Dutch was the roundup of 425 Jewish men over the weekend of February 22nd and 23rd, 1941. As a sign of protest the citizens of Amsterdam and other cities in the province of Noord-Holland staged a strike on February 25th and 26th. This sign of protest by the Dutch was called the February strike and is commemorated as such to this day.

On July 14, 1942, there was an order from Germany to deport 40,000 Jews from Holland. After rounding up 700 Jews, the Germans threatened to send them to death camps unless 4,000 others turned themselves in. Still remembering the arrests of February 1941, the Jewish people were hesitant to respond. The threat ended up having the opposite effect. Very few reported voluntarily and 19,400 went into hiding. Some of the Dutch population actively involved themselves in passive resistance by hiding Jews from the Nazis. In total, 25,000-30,000 Jews managed to go into hiding assisted by the Dutch underground. Those Jews who went into hiding became totally dependent on their Dutch caregivers.  

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We Remember: The Righteous

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We Remember: The Righteous Exhibit Key

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1. Exhibit Entrance

   1. Introduction

   2. Prologue

2. Schindler & White

   1. Righteous Among the Nations

   2. Oskar Schindler

   3. Emilie Schindler

   4. Dr. Alexander White

3. The Quatrevilles & Adelman

   1. The Rescuer

   2. The Quatrevilles & Charolette Adelman

4. Lier & Speyer

   1. The Dutch Resistance

   2. Jantje Spier & Philip Pach Speyer

Making Choices:
The Dutch Resistance During World War II
(Source: You Tube - Vision Video)

Director: Robert Prince
Starring: John Witte

A moving and well crafted first hand account of four Dutch survivors of the 1940 Nazi invasion of Holland who helped protect total strangers from certain death. Explore the dramatic wartime lives of four Dutch citizens who took a stand to protect Jews and resist the overwhelming power of the Nazis during World War II. This inspiring documentary tells their stories of fear and courage, danger and faith as they put their lives on the line to do what they thought was right. Featuring four participants in the Dutch Resistance who now make their home in America, Making Choices reveals what motivated them to risk everything to protect total strangers and the heavy price they paid for challenging the Nazis.

Hidden Heroes - Dutch Resistance Part 1
(Source: You Tube - Number7smokesForEver

Former Dutch resistance fighters and those they saved tell their stories.

Hidden Heroes - Dutch Resistance Part 2
(Source: You Tube - Number7smokesForEver

Former Dutch resistance fighters and those they saved tell their stories.

Hidden Heroes - Dutch Resistance Part 3
(Source: You Tube - Number7smokesForEver

Former Dutch resistance fighters and those they saved tell their stories.