REVIEWS:
1. "Recently, two Dutch historians finished a comparative analysis of the Holocaust in the Netherlands, Belgium and France, for the first time integrating the Jews as full protagonists in an explanatory model of the enormous differences in the death toll of those countries. Their results are much more convincing than any preceding study."
Prof. Dan Michman, in: THE HOLOCAUST. VOICES OF SCHOLARS (editor: J. Ambrosewicz-Jacobs). Cracow, 2009, p. 120.
2. "The lower percentage of French victims has been caused mainly by the attitude of the French government. In the first years of the war the Vichy regime issued all sorts of antisemitic measures and it supported deportation actions by the occupier. But from October 1942 onwards the support was withdrawn. Without this help the German occupier could do less than it wanted to. Not only because of a lack of its own manpower, but also because the German government did not want to rebuff the Vichy government. In Belgium and the Netherlands the Germans had much more power and a larger freedom of action, as a consequence of which the persecution of the Jews proceeded more effectively there. The big difference in victimization rate between Belgium and the Netherlands had mainly to do with the methods implemented by the occupier. In Belgium the occupiers acted more violently and big roundups were carried out earlier than in the Netherlands. Because of this, Jews in Belgium sooner took to flight. The Belgian resistance also sooner arose. In the Netherlands the occupier operated more cunningly. Here false hopes of deferment and exemption from deportation were held out to the Jews."
Nadine Böke, 'Minder geweld, meer slachtoffers. Waarom driekwart van de Nederlandse Joden omkwam' (Less violence, more victims. Why three-quarters of the Dutch Jews perished), in: FOLIA (University of Amsterdam Weekly), Vol. 62, No. 13 (November 28, 2008), p. 15.
3. "A very detailed and systematic analysis of dozens of striking similarities and differences in successive stages of the persecution of the Jews. Altogether, that has yielded quite a lot. From the research by Griffioen and Zeller becomes clear that the decisive factor was the unanimity on the part of the German administration. Whereas in Belgium and France the persecution policy was frustrated by internal competency disputes, in the Netherlands - from February 1942 onwards - orders from Eichmann's department IV B 4 at the Reich Security Head Office in Berlin were directly forwarded, over the head of Seyss-Inquart, via the Judenreferat (anti-Jewish section) in The Hague to the Amsterdam Zentralstelle ('Central Office for Jewish Emigration') and from there to the Jewish Council."
Prof. Ido de Haan in: NRC HANDELSBLAD and nrc.next, May 5, 2011.
4. "A thoroughly documented and profound comparison between the Netherlands, Belgium and France."
Ad van Liempt, in: DE OORLOG (Amsterdam, 2009), p. 261.
5. "The SS, which had a much stronger position in the occupation regime in the Netherlands than in Belgium, wanted to prevent unrest as much as possible here, especially after the February Strike of 1941, the only protest strike against the persecution of the Jews during the war. After the strike the SS seized and deported the Jews as inconspicuously as possible."
HET PAROOL, November 22, 2008, p. PS 5.
6. "From the transnational comparison by Griffioen and Zeller emerges that the difference between the Netherlands and France has to be explained for a major part by the attitude of the French Vichy government. In the Netherlands the Germans had more freedom of action.
After the proclamation of the general compulsory labor draft of the Belgian population in October 1942, organized resistance and hiding got under way. In the Netherlands this happened only in May 1943."
HISTORISCH NIEUWSBLAD, Vol. 18, No. 2 (March 2009), p. 12.
7. "Anyone who henceforth wants to make pronouncements in scholarship on the causes of the high number of victims brought about by the occupier in the Netherlands, will have to take into account their arguments. The book has all the qualities to raise the discussion on the striking sequence of the persecution in the Netherlands to a higher level."
From Dr. Guus Meershoek's address, delivered at the NIOD, Amsterdam, October 25, 2011.
8. "In the Netherlands the SS, especially the Security Police, controlled the whole process, in the other two countries there were various parties."
Arthur Graaff, in: HP/DE TIJD, October 22, 2011.
9. "The importance of this book lies particularly in the comparative, methodical approach. By doing so, it has appeared possible to 'weigh' the various factors."
Rob Hartmans, in: HISTORISCH NIEUWSBLAD, Vol. 20, No. 10 (December 2011), p. 23.
10. "Inspired by Chris Lorenz' comparative causal mode of explanation (Chris Lorenz, The Construction of the Past) these two historians describe the major similarities and differences between France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The result is a balanced account of historical actors who were, individually and collectively, confronted with circumstances, events and choices. (...) The book is easy to absorb with conveniently arranged schemata and lucid summaries."
Hester Borms, in: GALAPAS, Vol. 32, No. 3 (December 2011), p. 43.
11. "It is unquestionably the merit of Griffioen and Zeller that they convincingly show the decisive causes of the exceptionally high number and percentage of Jewish victims in the Netherlands."
Robin te Slaa, in: *****DE VOLKSKRANT, January 14, 2012, Books supplement, p. 6.
12. "Griffioen and Zeller show that the process of exclusion and deportation was comparable, but that the administrative structures of German and indigenous agencies differed strongly and consequently also the freedom of action of the national-socialist tracing apparatus, which was much larger in the Netherlands. The surplus value lies in the scientific foundation and the bringing together and weighing of all these variables."
Enno van der Eerden, in: CONTACTBLAD '40-'45 (Stichting 1940-1945), Winter 2011–2012, p. 23.
13. "German police in Amsterdam gained almost unlimited control over the organization and implementation of the deportations. These proceeded largely non-violently and behind the scenes, through administration, intimidation and deception, preventing unrest and economic damage."
ONS AMSTERDAM, Vol. 63, No. 1 (January 2012), p. 36.
14. "A very thorough study which answers the ever-recurring delicate question: why was it that in the Netherlands, in comparison with other countries, such an excessively high percentage of Jews was murdered during the war? Griffioen and Zeller have succeeded in a sober and matter-of-fact analysis of all factors that played a role in answering this question. Clever work!"
Dr. Bart Wallet, in: NIEUWSBRIEF 'CRESCAS', Joods Educatief Centrum (Newsletter 'Crescas', Jewish Educational Center, Amsterdam), Vol. 8, No. 2 (Friday, January 20, 2012).
15. "Griffioen and Zeller have undeniably written a solid standard work. The book contains a true goldmine of facts between which many plausible relations are placed. Their study is nothing less than a land-mark in the running debate and everyone who wants to add something to that, does well in first consulting their book."
Dr. Ton Zwaan, in: GESCHIEDENIS MAGAZINE, Vol. 47, No. 1 (January–February 2012), pp. 8–13.
16. "This erudite work offers fundamental background information on the Holocaust in our country in comparison with the Netherlands and France."
Historia@pelckmans, No. 37 (March 2012), p. 10.
17. "Through the richness of explanatory factors the authors make particularly clear that historical events can by no means be explained simply and uniformly. (...) Congratulations to the authors with their lucid structure and the polished linguistic usage."
Dr. Veerle Vanden Daelen, in: Tijdschrift voor Sociale en Economische Geschiedenis (TSEG, Journal of Social and Economic History), Vol. 9 (2012), No. 2, pp. 124–125.
18. "So far, there was no comprehensive, comparative international historical study on the persecution of the Jews in Western Europe. The historians Pim Griffioen and Ron Zeller are the first who, with their book on this subject, have provided an important contribution in the clarification of this question. Central in their study is the explanation of the differences in outcome for each country. (...) This book belongs, without more ado, to the most important books that have appeared on this subject in the last 20 years."
Victor Brilleman, in: MISJPOGE. Quarterly published by the Netherlands Society for Jewish Genealogy (NKvJG), Vol. 25 (2012), No. 3, pp. 100–101.
19. "Griffioen and Zeller have written an impressive and convincing study, that offers a good insight in what caused the enormous difference in absolute number and percentage of murdered Jews in France, Belgium and the Netherlands."
Dr. Martijn Lak, in: TIJDSCHRIFT VOOR GESCHIEDENIS (TvG, Journal of History), Vol. 126 (2013), No. 1, pp. 139–141.
20. "Excellent". Johannes Swaen,
www.blikopdewereld.nl, 2012.
21. "The authors deserve congratulations on producing such a comprehensive comparative analysis (...). Their more stringent methodology and use of statistical material unavailable or disregarded by earlier commentators has achieved a more refined rendering of previously accepted interpretations. (...) this study will undoubtedly stand as an essential text for all those wishing to take the debate forward in the future."
Prof. Bob Moore, in: YAD VASHEM STUDIES, Vol. 42-1 (2014), pp. 159–165.
22. "This study will undoubtedly belong to the most fundamental studies on the Shoah in general and on Western Europe in particular."
Prof. Dan Michman, in: BMGN - LOW COUNTRIES HISTORICAL REVIEW, Vol. 129-1 (2014), online review 8.
23. "Invaluable", Prof. F.W. Boterman, in: DUITSE DADERS (Amsterdam 2015), pp. 8-9.
