''Goodbye Holland'' is a 2004
documentary about the extermination of
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The film debunks the accepted notion that the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
were 'good' during the war, exposing how Dutch police and civil servants helped the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
occupying regime implement massive
deportations
Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
, which resulted in the death of 78 percent of the Jews in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
In truth the above death rate of Jews from the Netherlands masks the much greater tragedy. There were approximately 140,000 Jews in the Netherlands at the time of the German invasion in May 1940. They included about 25,000 Jews who escaped mostly from Germany and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and some from other countries. When the deportations began in 1942 the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
did not deport Jews in mixed marriages. About 25,000 Jews were exempt from deportation or went into hiding, half of whom who were hiding were caught or betrayed.
Of the 107,000 Jews from the Netherlands actually deported to the concentration camps only about 5000 survived, about 4%. So the actual death rate of arrested, deported and murdered Jews from the Netherlands was closer to 96%.
The documentary was made by
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
Award winning director
Willy Lindwer
Willy Lindwer (born Wolf Lindwer, 18 March 1946) is a Dutch documentary film producer, director, photographer and author.
Biography
Willy Lindwer was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where he studied at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy. ...
.
Summary
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – )Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new light on Anne Fra ...
is perhaps the most familiar symbol of the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
in the Netherlands, remembered for the diary in which she recorded her thoughts, feelings and reflections during her family's two years in hiding. But Anne's memory is most important as a symbol of the senseless destruction of
Dutch Jewry, and the deeply rooted
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
in Dutch society that allowed for, and even encouraged, the murder of more than 100,000 Jews. ''Goodbye Holland'' tells the story of Dutch antisemitism and collaboration with the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
— which resulted in the highest percentage of Jewish fatalities in all of
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
— through the lens of one man's personal quest to put together the pieces of his family's history.
"What happened was not just the result of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
evil. The Dutch were not willing to save Jews because they perceived the Jew as 'other'," says
Jacques Wallage
Jacques Wallage (born 27 September 1946) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and sociologist.
Wallage attended a Gymnasium in Groningen from April 1959 until May 1965 and applied at the University of Groningen in June 196 ...
, Jewish son of Holocaust survivors who is now the current
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
, once home to a vibrant Jewish community.
Classic
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
antisemitism was all-pervasive among the devoutly religious Dutch population, and in the wake of economic recession anti-Jewish sentiment reached an all-time high in prewar Netherlands. Many became willing collaborators, betraying Jews who were in hiding, like the Frank family, and actively participating in the destruction of the Jews of the Netherlands. The Dutch were "fully at the disposal of the Nazis, and in some cases, the Germans didn't have to do anything, because the Dutch willingly carried out the deportations," the mayor explains. Others merely "looked the other way, so they didn't have to see anything."
Production
Willy Lindwer, a native of
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, is the son of
Holocaust survivors
Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and Axis powers, its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no unive ...
. He graduated from the
Netherlands Film Academy
The Netherlands Film Academy ( nl, Nederlandse Filmacademie) (NFA) was founded in 1958.
The academy is the only recognised institute in the Netherlands that offers training to prepare for the work in the various crew disciplines. Specialisation ...
in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
in 1971.
He founded the production company AVA Productions in 1985, which has been dedicated to producing international documentaries that are distributed worldwide that often focus on the Holocaust or Jewish themes.
In ''Goodbye Holland'', Willy Lindwer investigates the story of his parents' survival in hiding, and of the betrayal of an aunt and uncle who were hidden in a Dutch home nearby. In the process, Lindwer meets with
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
Holocaust survivors, and children of survivors like himself. In addition, he speaks with former members of the Dutch police force that operated under the German
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
occupation. What emerges is a terrifying tale of collaboration between ordinary Dutch citizens and the regime that led to the annihilation of nearly an entire population.
Awards
''Goodbye Holland'' was nominated for an
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i Academy Award.
See also
*
History of the Jews in the Netherlands
The history of the Jews in the Netherlands began largely in the 16th century when they began to settle in Amsterdam and other cities. It has continued to the present. During the occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany in May 1940, the ...
Other documentaries about Jews in World War II:
*''
A Story about a Bad Dream
''A Story about a Bad Dream'' (2000) is a docudrama made by Czech director Pavel Stingl, dramatizing the diary of Eva Erbenova, a young girl who survived the Holocaust. The film based on her memoir uses reenactments. With its child narrator and n ...
''
*''
Paradise Camp''
*''
Pola's March
''Pola's March'' is a 1998 Documentary film, documentary made by Jonathan Gruber (filmmaker), Jonathan Gruber about a Holocaust survivor, Pola Susswein's emotional trip back to her childhood home in Poland after fifty years spent in Israel, trying ...
''
*''
The Sixth Battalion
''The Sixth Battalion'' is a 1998 documentary film that examines the history of Jewish soldiers who fought for the Slovak Republic, a puppet state created by Nazi Germany, during World War II. The documentary combines interviews with archival ...
''
*''
The Boys of Buchenwald
''The Boys of Buchenwald'' is a 2002 documentary film produced by Paperny Films that examines how the child survivors of the Buchenwald concentration camp had to integrate themselves back into normal society after having experienced the brutality ...
''
*''
The Story of Chaim Rumkowski and the Jews of Lodz
''The Story of Chaim Rumkowski and the Jews of Łódź'' is a 1982 documentary film that uses archival film footage and photographs to narrate the story of one of the Holocaust's most controversial figures, Chaim Rumkowski, a Jew put in charge o ...
''
Notes
References
*{{cite web
, title =Goodbye Holland
, publisher =The Willy Lindwer Film and Video Collection
, date =
, url =http://www.willylindwer.com/profile.htm
, doi =
, accessdate = September 5, 2007
External links
''Goodbye Hollands website''Goodbye Holland''reviewed by ''
The Jewish Channel
The Jewish Channel (TJC) is a cable television channel available on Comcast, iO Optimum Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS, RCN, Frontier Communications, and Cox Cable. It was launched by Compass Productions International in 2007. In 2011 ...
''
Write up of ''Goodbye Holland''from
New York Jewish Film Festival
The New York Jewish Film Festival (NYJFF) is an annual festival in New York City that features a wide array of international films exploring themes related to the Jewish experience. The Jewish Museum and The Film Society of Lincoln Center work in ...
Jewish Film Archive write up of ''Goodbye Holland''
Dutch documentary films
2004 films
Documentary films about World War II
Documentary films about the Holocaust
2004 documentary films
The Holocaust in the Netherlands