The Association of Netherlands Municipalities has asked the Ministry of Interior to omit the designation of a person’s religion henceforth from the population registries. In making the request, the Association noted that such designation constituted a breach of privacy and in certain situations, such as that of Dutch Jews during the Nazi occupation, a threat to life.
The issue was raised recently as a consequence of demands from Arab countries that certificates of non-Jewish origin be attached to visa applications by Dutch nationals. The Association asked the Interior Minister to consult with the various religious congregations with respect to changing the present system of recording religious affiliation. The Association said that the general census taken every ten years was sufficient to establish how many people belonged to any religious group.
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.
