Central Office for Jewish Emigration
The Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Amsterdam was the end of March 1941, formed by the concept of the Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Vienna. She was housed in a building in the van Eeghenstraat in Amsterdam. The responsibilities of the central office initially included the acceleration of forced emigration of Jews from the Netherlands. Later, the central office also served as the executive body for " Jewish affairs " to the organization of deportations to the extermination camps.
Tasks
The task of the central body consists first, to accelerate the forced emigration of Jews in the Netherlands and found there Jewish refugees. In the central office were all the measures in question departure coordinated, so questions of citizenship, property taxes, foreign exchange, as well as exhibition and screening of all necessary documents. Until May 1941, however, only 200 emigration procedures were performed, followed by emigration of Jews from the Netherlands were prohibited with a few exceptions.
The writing is invited by the Higher SS and Police Leader in the occupied Netherlands Hanns Albin Rauter the Reich Commissioner Arthur Seyss- Inquart comprehensive powers for the central office to be set up but have not been approved by Seyss- Inquart. Seyss- Inquart was concerned that the Security Police would get across to police far-reaching powers. So no emigration fund was connected in contrast to Vienna and Prague central office of the Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Amsterdam. These funds, in which Jewish assets, foreign exchange and real estate have been managed should also serve to finance the emigration of the Jewish victims themselves. This facility was instead transferred to the General Commissioner for Finance and economy.
After the central office was concerned after the ban on emigration until the fall of 1941 mainly with the registration of Jews in the Netherlands, the task of the Central Office by Commander of the Security Police and the SD ( Security Office ) has been clarified in the Netherlands Wilhelm Harster on August 28, 1941
" The Central Office for Jewish Emigration Amsterdam is responsible for the smuggling of Jews as through advance action for the upcoming relocation and technical treatment of emigration applications. ( The granting of exemptions to emigrate I have reserved for me. ) The Central Office for Jewish Emigration Amsterdam expanded to create single command output location for the Judenrat. Other tasks I will transfer her case by case basis in the course of development. "
After the Wannsee Conference was Harster regarding the tasks of the Central Office on February 3, 1942, the " preparation of the Final Solution ":
" A) The Central Office for Jewish Emigration I transferred:
( Command output to the Judenrat, Jewish organizations, training, welfare, labor input, weekly ).
- 2 The implementation of the arrangement of the occurrence of the Jews in public:
( Determining spatial and temporal restrictions in detail, monitoring the marking, access to public facilities and events, parade permits).
- 3 The preparation of the final solution:
Euphemisms such as removal or relocation served as Tarnbegriffe for the Holocaust. The Judenrat established by Seyss- Inquart in February 1941 in Amsterdam, headed by David Cohen and Abraham Asscher, was forced cooperation partners and the central contact of the central office in terms of " Jewish affairs ". The central office was now a link between IMs and Jewish Council and thus became the central organization point for the deportation of Jews.
Already on July 5, 1942 called for the central office to 4,000 Jews, immediately einzufinden the health examination for work in Germany in the Westerbork transit camp. While the central office initiated the deportations, the Jewish Department was involved in the Security Office with the enforcement of deportations. From Westerbork transit camp the transports went on to extermination camps.
In September 1941 140.000 Jews were registered in the Netherlands, including German and Austrian refugees. Of the 107,000 deported Jews survived the Holocaust only 5,200.
Structure and staff
The central office in Vienna, Amsterdam and incurred in Prague in July 1939, were outposts of the Reich Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Berlin.
The central office in Amsterdam was initially led by Wilhelm Zoepf, which was supported by Erich Rajakowitsch, an experienced staff of Adolf Eichmann. After Zöpf the "Special Unit J" in February 1942 - the " Department IV B 4 " - took over the Gestapo at the Security Office in The Hague, Ferdinand was from the Fünten his successor as Director of Corporate Center. In the central office about 100 people were employed. Among them were about twelve German officers who worked in a research department together with Dutch colleagues, about 20 German and Dutch employees of the " Department of travel and removal permits " and about 70 Dutch employees of the department " household registration ".
In contrast to the central office in Vienna and Prague, which were subject formally the commander of the Security Police and the SD ( Security Office ) but practically the Eichmann Unit in the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), the Amsterdam central station was not only formally but also in practice to the authorities apparatus of the Security. They reported directly to the branch office of the Security Office in Amsterdam, which was led by Willy Lages. This could not refer directly to this central office influence the Eichmann Unit.