The website for the largest war archive in the Netherlands, “Oorlog voor de Rechter,” experienced a surge in traffic, with 389,000 visitors just one day after its launch. Many visitors are Jewish descendants of Holocaust victims and survivors, seeking information.
However, the anticipated transparency of the archive has not met expectations, causing frustration. Gideon van der Sluis, originally from the Netherlands and now residing in Israel, is among those affected.
He faced long wait times to access the site and seeks answers about his family members lost during World War II. Current access to the archive is limited due to privacy concerns raised by the Dutch Data Protection Authority, allowing only searches for potential collaborators’ names.
Complete online availability is planned, but may come too late for some survivors. Another individual, Pinchas Bar-Efrat, aged 93, desires answers to personal questions but faces challenges due to his age and health.
The limited search capabilities also impact Van der Sluis, who is unable to easily travel to the Netherlands and lacks the names of those who betrayed his relatives. Both express the need for comprehensive online access to the archive to obtain closure and information about their families.
Source: NOS