THE Dutch national railway company says it will set up a commission to investigate how it can pay individual reparations for its role in mass deportations of Jews by Nazi occupiers during the Second World War.
The rail company, NS, said in a statement published on Tuesday its involvement in the deportations “is a black page in the history of our country and our company”.
More than 100,000 Jews, 70% of the Dutch Jewish community, did not survive the war. Most were deported from the Netherlands and killed in Nazi concentration camps.
Erik Kroeze of NS said yesterday the commission will look at making payments to Dutch Holocaust survivors and direct family members of Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis. He said it was not yet clear how many people could be eligible.
Kroeze said it is too early to say when the commission, which has yet to be appointed, will reach conclusions. “For us it is important to put care ahead of speed,” he said.
NS apologized for its role in the deportations in 2005.
Salo Muller whose parents were transported to Auschwitz where they were murdered said: “What this means for me is that the NS sees that the suffering is not over.”
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