Figure 1.--.

Dutch Public Schools

Dutch Jewish children mostly attended the excellent Dutch public schools. There was relatively little anti-semitism in the Netherlands and incidents of Jewish children being asaulted were virtually unknown before the NAZI invasion. Jewish children continued to attend the Dutch public schools even after the May 1940 NAZI invasion and occuption. NAZI anti-Jewish measures involved the dismissal of Jewish civil servants. This included school teachers, although I am not sure how many Jewish school teachers there were. Jewish children were, however, allowed to continue attending Dutch public schools during the 1940-41 school year.

Jewish Council Schools

NAZI measures until August 1941 were directed at adults. Jewish children had largely been spared from the various NAZIs measures, although they were of course affected by these measures taken against their parents. This changed in August. NAZI authorities announced that beginning with the coming school year on September 1, Jewish children would no longer be allowed to attend school with other Dutch children. [HJW #22] Jewish children would have to attend their own separate schools where they would be taught by Jewish teachers. [Anderson] The Germans had taken the same step in Germany in 1935, but many German Jews had already left the German state schools because of the abuse they were receiving. The same was not true in Dutch schools where attacks on Jewish children were virtually unknown before the NAZI occupation.

The Jewish Council was given the responsibility for establishing and administering the Jewish schools. (Jewish teachers had already been fired from the Dutch schools. The teachers welcomed the opportunity to work again. They were paid by the Jewish Council which the NAZIs financed by money sized from Jewish bank accounts.) There were about 7,000 Jewish children enrolled in the Jewish schools. Margot Frank and her sister Anne were thus separated from other Dutch children. She had to leave her Montessori School. Together with Margot in September she entered the Jewish Lycee in Amsterdam. [Frank]

A reader reports that there was one Duch school in Amsterdam where the Jewish children were not removed. "In our school in Amsterdam, the only one which did it, Jewish children could stay in the same building. This was because a wall was built in the middle of the building with a door in it. We did continue to play together and defend them when NAZI kids attacked them. But in a little more than a year all the Jewish kids were deported or in hiding. From the almost 80 Jewish kids in our school, only a few returned." [Sweering]

Jewish schools operated with relative normalcy begining with the new school year in September 1, 1941. This had changed by the with the September 1942 school year. Ehen school resumed in September the deporttions were already well underway. They had begun in July 1942. As a result of the continued round-up of Jewish people throughout the Netherlands, the Jewish schools had a most difficult time operating consistently and regularly during the new school year. At first teachers as employees of the Jewish Council were exempted. The children, however, were hauled away at a very fast pace--rapidly decimating the school population. One can only think the horror of coming to school each day and finding another desk in your class vacant--perhaps your best friend.

German Jewish School Children

The NAZIs introdduced the same system in the Netherlands that they had in Germany in 1935. Jewish children in Germany attended separate Jewish schools after the promulgation of the Nurremburg Race Laws in September 1935. For these children the Jewish schools were a relief from the abuse that many had redeived in the German stste schools.

Further Restrictions

Th NAZIs issued several additional measures aimed at Jewish school children. We do not yet understand the precise nature or purpose of these regulations. We note that the NAZIs issued another decree on January 9, 1942 prohibiting Jewish children from attending public schools and high schools. As Jewish children were already expelled from public schools, we are not yet sure of the specific provisions of this regulation. Perhaps this referred to private or Catholic schools. The NAZIs issued further regulations on September 15, 1942 prohibiting Jewish students are barred from attending all university and college classes. [Vanderwerff] Again we are not sure why this further regulation was needed. Perhaps their were private or Catholic universities not covered by the August 1941 decree.

Private Schools

Westerbork

The Nazis insisted on this even after these hapless ones were captured and locked up in the Transit camps Westerbork and Vught, schooling had to go on! There was both day careand elementary schools set up at Westerbork. NAZI authorities made school attendance mandatory. The only exception was children receiving deportation orders. [Vanderwerff]

Sources

Anderson, Anthony E. "Anne Frank was not alone: Holland and the Holocaust" [Online], October 24, 1995.

Frank, Anne. The Diary of A Young Girl.

Het Joodsche Weekblad, Nieuwe Editie" 1ste Jaargang # 22, dated 5 September 1941 - 13 Elul 5701. (In the Dutch language) On the front page is the official notification issued by the Jewish Council and the Committee of Coordinators.

Sweering, Ronald, E-mail message, October 22, 2002.

Vanderwerff, Hans. Nazi directives aimed at segregating Dutch Jews, accessed October 22, 2002.

Vanderwerff, Hans. The school system of camp Westerbork, accesed October 19, 2002.

Created: October 19, 2002
Last updated: October 19, 2002