Over 100 Dutch municipalities investigating large-scale WWII Jewish property seizures

All 103 Dutch municipalities where Jewish-owned real estate was seized on a large scale during World War II are now investigating those actions, according to research by Pointer, the investigative program of public broadcaster KRO-NCRV.

These are the municipalities where 10 or more properties were expropriated or where the municipality itself purchased expropriated real estate. The cases are documented in the Verkaufsbücher, the wartime records registering the looting and trade in Jewish homes and land parcels.

In all, 176 of the 218 municipalities named in the Verkaufsbücher are examining the transactions. That group includes all 103 municipalities with large-scale seizures (10 or more properties) as well as those with fewer than 10 deals.

Pointer has tracked the municipalities’ efforts since 2020 through five rounds of inquiries. Only Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht had begun investigations before 2020. The other municipalities started after Pointer alerted them to the Verkaufsbücher. In recent months, the last municipalities where research was necessary announced they would begin.

The investigations typically examine whether legal restitution took place after the war, whether the municipality improperly levied taxes on returning Jews or their survivors, and whether postwar officials were lenient and empathetic in handling procedures. Experts say that in municipalities with fewer than 10 transactions, too little information exists to draw conclusions about the local government’s attitude toward Jewish residents.

So far, 153 investigations have been completed. The reports often answer questions for survivors and heirs about what happened to their family property during and after the war.

Some municipalities have offered apologies to the Jewish community after reviewing the report conclusions. In 14 municipalities, officials took an extra step, making a total of more than 2.7 million euros available for education, renovation of Jewish heritage and individual claims by survivors. More than 13 municipalities have freed up funds for the Jewish community, totaling more than 2.7 million euros.

In Hellendoorn, moral restitution took a different form. No money was paid out, but the municipality has held an annual commemoration on Jan. 29 since 2024 to mark the seizure of Jewish homes.

Not every municipality has pursued the issue as thoroughly. A quarter of the 176 municipalities are conducting only a limited preliminary investigation. In those cases, no independent researcher is hired and the work is less extensive.