Goodbye Holland
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''Goodbye Holland'' is a 2004
documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
about the extermination of
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The film debunks the accepted notion that the
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
were 'good' during the war, exposing how Dutch police and civil servants helped the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
occupying regime implement massive
deportations Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or is under sen ...
, which resulted in the death of 78 percent of the Jews in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. 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, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and some from other countries. When the deportations began in 1942 the
Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
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 television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
Award winning director
Willy Lindwer Wolf "Willy" Lindwer (born 18 March 1946) is a Dutch documentary film producer, director, photographer and author. He is best known for his films on the Holocaust, Israel and the Middle East, Judaism and Christianity. Childhood and education W ...
.


Summary

Anne Frank Annelies Marie Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – February or March 1945)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 li ...
is perhaps the most familiar symbol of the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
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 or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
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 (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
— 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 extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of 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, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
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 Netherlands, Dutch politician of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA) and sociologist. Wallage attended a Gymnasium (school), Gymnasium in Groningen from April 1959 until M ...
, Jewish son of Holocaust survivors who is now the current
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...
of
Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
, once home to a vibrant Jewish community. Classic
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
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 ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, 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 its collaborators before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universall ...
. He graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
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 or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
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 (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
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, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
i Academy Award.


See also

*
History of the Jews in the Netherlands The history of the Jews in the Netherlands largely dates to the late 16th century and 17th century, when Sephardic Jews from Portugal and Spain began to settle in Amsterdam and a few other Dutch cities, because the Netherlands was an unusual ...
Other documentaries about Jews in World War II: *''
A Story about a Bad Dream ''A Story about a Bad Dream'' () is a 2000 docudrama made by Czech director Pavel Štingl, dramatizing the diary of , a young girl who survived the Holocaust. The film based on her 1994 memoir ''Vyprávěj mámo, jak to bylo'' ell Me Mom How It ...
'' *'' Paradise Camp'' *''
Pola's March ''Pola's March'' is a 1998 documentary made by 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 to forget her painful past. Summary “This ...
'' *'' The Sixth Battalion'' *''
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''


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
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