Amsterdam mayor to apologise for city’s role in WWII: Parool

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema will offer a formal apology to the Jewish community for its role in the persecution of the Jews during the German occupation at the annual commemoration of the Shoah at the Hollandsche Schouwburg on April 24, sources close to the mayor have confirmed to the Parool.

The city will also earmark €25 million to strengthen the Jewish community, the sources said.

The apology, the first made on behalf of the city, comes in the wake of an investigation by war studies institute Niod into the role of council services in the persecution of Jewish Amsterdammers. A report outlining the findings will be published shortly.

The active roles of public transport company GVB and Dutch rail company NS in the deportation of Jews have been emerging over the years, as well as the participation of the Amsterdam police in raids, and the population register’s willingness to supply addresses to the Germans.

According to the parties involved, the apologies are not a reparation but a long-overdue recognition of the city’s part in the crimes against its Jewish population.

Halsema is also working on a plan to establish a €25 million fund aimed at strengthening Jewish cultural and social life in the city and promoting mutual understanding.

One of the initiatives suggested in the plan is to increase the awareness of the influence of Yiddish on the language. Many words, such mazzel, gebbetje and kapsones, are still in daily use.

A commission including former PvdA minister Jet Bussemaker, professor of Jewish studies Bart Wallet, and Boaz Cahn of anti-polarisation campaign Deel De Duif, will be given a year to formulate the conditions for the fund based on talks with Jewish organisations and individuals.

In 1940, some 80,000 Jews lived in Amsterdam, 60,000 of whom were killed in the extermination camps. Dozens of Roma and Sinti living in Amsterdam were also deported. It is not clear if Halsema will explicitly include them in her apology.