The Social-Historical Foundations of the Jewish Councils of Western Europe: A Comparative Approach

The Jewish Councils of Western Europe (the Netherlands, Belgium and France) set up at the behest of the Nazi occupier, have been a subject of debate ever since their inception during the Second World War. More than 75 years later, the historiography on the subject is still stuck within this moral juridical framework, focussed on apportioning blame for the deportations. In addition, analyses of the Jewish Councils have almost exclusively been restricted to the national histories of each of these countries. Positioning the activities of the Councils in the proper context of their countries, I will shed new light on the behaviour of their leaderships. This will help in a critical reappraisal of the debates on the deportations and fate of the Jews in all three countries’ national historiographies.

More specifically, this paper focuses on the social historical foundations on which the Jewish Councils were built. The social struggles, particularly in the 1920s and 1930s when large numbers of Central and Eastern European Jews immigrated to Western Europe (Belgium and France in particular), caused shifting power balances in each of the Jewish communities. Exploring the position of the future Council headships in this changing community, focussing on their personal background and religious and political beliefs, will help to understand how the Council leaders perceived their role and to what extent they represented their community. In a comparative perspective, this allows for a nuanced understanding of the prospects of the Council headships and its fundaments from the moment they were established.