An indication of the deep-rooted anti-Semitism left in Holland as a result of four years of German occupation is contained in a letter appearing in the left-wing democratic newspaper “Het Parol.”
The letter, commenting on the attacks in the anti-Semitic newspaper “Veritas” on the inclusion of a Jew in the Dutch Military Commission for Civil Administration, says: “Everywhere one hears complaints about the many Jews on this commission. Despite the terrible sufferings which our Jewish compatriots had to endure during the occupation, consciously, or unconsciously, an anti-Semitic train of thought has arisen among the majority of the people. This is certainly due in no small measure to the insidious German propaganda.
“It, therefore, appears to us very taotless,” the letter goes on, “for our government to appoint so many Jews to posts on the military commission. The small percentage of Jews in Holland can certainly form no basis for these appointments, and they will inevitably be a cause of new difficulties and frictions. We are writing this,” it concludes, “without in any way wishing to detract from the good qualities and characteristics of our Jewish compatricts, which are beyond praise.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
