What Happened to Jewish People in Amsterdam in 1940?

For Amsterdam’s Jewish community, 1940 was the year everything began to change. Families who had built their lives in the city suddenly found themselves living under Nazi occupation. Their homes were still there, but their security and rights were disappearing.

Amsterdam had around 75,000 Jewish residents. Some families had lived in the Netherlands for centuries. Others had arrived more recently, escaping persecution in Germany. They included shopkeepers, teachers, artists, doctors, and children with ordinary hopes for the future.

The German invasion

On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands. Within days, most Dutch forces had surrendered, and Amsterdam came under German control.

For Jewish refugees who had already fled Hitler, the occupation meant facing the same threat again. The country where they had sought safety was now controlled by the Nazis.

At first, parts of everyday life continued. People went shopping, worked, and attended school. However, this appearance of normality did not mean they were safe.

Losing rights, step by step

During 1940, the occupiers introduced measures that separated Jewish people from the rest of society.

In October, Jewish business owners were ordered to register their businesses. This helped the authorities identify Jewish property and prepared the way for later takeovers.

That same month, public employees had to complete a declaration about their ancestry. The authorities used these forms to identify Jewish staff.

In November, Jewish civil servants were removed from their positions. Teachers and university employees were among those affected. People lost their livelihoods because the Nazis classified them as Jewish.

Some non-Jewish colleagues protested, but the measures remained.

What had not happened yet?

It is important to keep the dates clear. The major roundups in Amsterdam and the February Strike happened in 1941. Mass deportations to extermination camps began in 1942.

These later horrors should not be placed in 1940. Yet that first year of occupation laid essential groundwork: identifying businesses, excluding workers, and turning discrimination into official policy.

For Amsterdam’s Jewish residents, 1940 marked the beginning of a devastating transformation. A familiar city was becoming a place where their rights, income, and future could no longer be taken for granted.