Samenvatting
Frank van Riet takes the reader into the organization of the Ordedienst (OD); “The Jewish Guards”. It is an intriguing little known story about the transit camp to the concentration camps in Eastern Europe during the Holocaust, “The Dutch Gateway to Hell”. The book follows the story of the persecution of Jews in the Netherlands in 1942. Van Riet, who earned a PhD in history, went through the extensive records and facts on the events that took place in the Westerbork camp, which started as a refugee camp for fleeing Jews in the Netherlands, before World War II. The German occupiers could use the refugee camp as a transit camp with only minimal modifications. In barely two years, more than 100,000 Jews, but also Roma and Sinti, were deported from this camp to mainly Auschwitz and Sobibòr. Because there was a well-functioning camp organization, the guards did not have to use brute force, as in many other camps. Camp commander Albert Konrad Gemmeker had only ten SS men at his disposal. The OD, consisting of Jews, ensured order and peace in the camp. Because of the constant pressure to be deported themselves, the OD men carried out their assignments within and sometimes outside the camp punctually, which is why camp residents started calling them Jewish SS. Surveillance outside the gate was carried out by the Gendarmerie, consisting of young police officers who were each employed for only a few months. They were not allowed to have contact with the Jews and were not allowed to enter the camp. Van Riet paid extensive attention to the OD men and their backgrounds in the book, as they made the system of divide-and-conquer work well. Because of these Jewish guards, the Nazis could keep the well-oiled deportation machine running at full speed.
When the persecution of Jews in the Netherlands began in 1942, the occupying forces used the refugee camp near Westerbork in the east as a transit camp, without modifications. The Westerbork camp was established and paid for by the Dutch-Jewish community in the 1930s to house the increasing number of Jewish refugees from Germany. In two years, more than 100,000 Jews were deported from this camp, also known as the “Dutch gateway to hell”. Because a well-functioning camp organization was already present, the surveillance did not require brutal sadists, as was the case in other camps. Camp commander Albert Konrad Gemmeker only had a dozen SS men at his disposal. The Order Service (OD), composed of Jews, was responsible for the necessary order and peace within the camp. Due to the constant pressure to still be deported, the OD men carried out their assignments promptly inside and sometimes also outside the camp. That is why other camp residents also referred to them as the Jewish SS. The outdoor surveillance was carried out by the Dutch Gendarmerie* (Military Police). These mostly young police officers, who were tasked with this service for only a few months each time. They were not allowed to have any contact with the Jews and did not enter the camp. In this book, extensive attention was paid to the OD men and their background because, in particular, they made the system of divide and conquer work well. Because of these Jewish guards, the Nazis were able to keep the well-oiled deportation machine running at full speed.
Thuiswinkel Waarborg