Survival of Jews during the Holocaust: the importance of different types of social resources.
BACKGROUND
Of the Jewish inhabitants of Amsterdam 25.9% survived the Holocaust. However, different cultural and socio-economic groups within the Jewish community may have had different social resources and different chances of survival.


METHODS
To determine social resources by studying a random sample of 7,665 Jews living in Amsterdam on the eve of the destruction of Dutch Jewry. Binary logistic regression models are used to test several hypotheses and express odds ratios. As some types of social resources may be interrelated, multivariable analyses are used.


RESULTS
There were basically two ways of avoiding deportation to the death camps: going into hiding or acquiring protected status. The latter option was open chiefly to Jews having German nationality. In the analyses a higher survival rate correlates with holding German nationality, however is not significant when job status is included. Survival correlates strongly with having relations with non-Jews. The results were controlled for marital status, number of children, age below 15 years and gender. Standard errors and P-values were adjusted for family relationship by using robust standard error analyses.


CONCLUSIONS
Survival correlates most strongly with having close social ties with non-Jews. Although Jews could sometimes acquire protected status, this was no more than temporary. In order to survive, Jews needed someone who was a non-Jew to hide them and provide support.
Tammes
Peter
P
Social and Cultural Planning Office of the Netherlands, The Hague, The Netherlands. p.tammes@scp.nl
D005190:Family / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D017767:Holocaust / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007585:Jews / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D012944:Social Support; D013534:Survival / Q000523:psychology*