In the fall of 1941, SS leader Reinhard Heydrich decreed that all Jews, aged six and older in Nazi Germany and certain occupied territories, were required to wear a badge with the yellow Star of David and the word “Jew” inscribed within, in German or the local language. This badge was sewn onto clothing and displayed prominently on the chest.
The Nazis imposed this badge in Belgium and the Netherlands (Holland) in 1942. Watch the clip of testimony from Elly Bollegraaf, a child Holocaust survivor, who shares her recollections of how the Jewish community was forced to wear the yellow star under the occupation of the Nazis.
About the Interviewee
Elly Bollegraaf was born on September 19, 1940, in Amsterdam, Netherlands to an Orthodox Jewish family. The Nazis invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, and immediate restrictions were placed on Jews. While her mother worked, Elly lived with her maternal aunt for two years, until tensions rose. With the help of the director of a local telegraph communication network, Elly was hidden in the south of Holland. After the war, in 1947, Elly was reunited with her mother. They immigrated to Canada in 1951. This interview was conducted in Ottawa, by the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES) in 2016.