Instructions for Marking the Jews in Holland and in Occupied Belgium and France

IV J

Paris, 15.3.1942
SA. 221 b.

Re: Marking of the Jews.

1. Note

The meeting of March 14, 1942, was attended by the official in charge of the Jews of the Brussels office, SS Obersturmfuehrer Asche. SS Sturmbannfuehrer Lages of the Amsterdam outpost was not present, as he could not leave Amsterdam due to the absence of his deputy.

The following was agreed upon regarding the marking of the Jews:

a) In principle, the orders issued for Holland and for the occupied areas of Belgium and France should not speak of exceptional cases. The orders should concern only "Jews," as do previous orders.

b) [These areas] will adopt the same yellow Jewish Star that is used in Germany (about 10 sq. cm2 in size), but its inscription shall be in the language of the particular country. In Belgium it is to be bilingual.

c) The German embassy in Paris has announced that it will not object if the order targeted only Jews in general without specifying citizenship. If, in particular cases, a special agreement cannot be avoided in one of the countries, arrangements should be made discreetly between the offices, without publicizing them.

d) Mixed marriages will not be taken into consideration. The Jewish spouse must wear the star.

The Amsterdam office will be hereby notified of its position and required to make that position known as soon as possible to the officials in charge of the Jews of the Brussels and Paris offices.

April 15, 1942 has been set as a provisory deadline. A final date will be set following concluding contacts between the three participating offices.

In conclusion, it has been decided that the marking of the Jews in the designated Western areas must be seen as a [specific] goal within the [general] framework of the Final Solution of the European Jewish question. Thus, a justification – perhaps in the form of a preface to the order – is superfluous.

This, of course, does not exclude propaganda.

Regarding penalties, formal verdicts should comprise a prison sentence or a fine. But in all cases, incarceration in a concentration camp for Jews should also be a possibility.

The paragraph regarding penalties should be formulated as follows:

“Violations of these orders will be punished by imprisonment and a fine, or by one of these penalties. Incarceration in a Jewish camp is a possibility.”

In practice, the involvement of German courts in such cases should be avoided, and, in the interest of its deterrent effect, the principle of incarceration in a concentration camp should be implemented. The establishment of a womens' concentration camp for punishable Jewesses should be aimed at.

The three officials in charge will notify each other regarding new points of view or unbridgeable difficulties which may arise.

(signed) Asche


(signed) Dannecker
SS-Obersturmfuehrer

SS-Hauptsturmfuehrer
2. To remain in the Paris office.

Source: Yad Vashem