UvA revokes wartime dismissals after historical research
The university formally provides legal redress to staff dismissed during the occupation.
The University of Amsterdam has formally revoked the dismissals that took place during the Second World War. The decision concerns staff who were Jewish and staff who lost their jobs as punishment for resistance activities.
The Executive Board of the University of Amsterdam decided on 15 September to formally revoke the dismissals in question. This followed historical research by the university’s Documentary Information Provision department.
The dismissals took place during the German occupation. At the time, the university was part of the municipal organisation of Amsterdam. The Municipal Executive therefore formally carried out the dismissals on the orders of the German occupier.
According to the UvA’s historical explanation, all Jewish staff were dismissed shortly after the introduction of the Aryan declaration. Other professors and lecturers also had to leave during the war, partly for political reasons. At the time, the university chose not to resist openly in order to remain open.
The legal redress consists of revoking the dismissals. For professors, lecturers and private lecturers, the information in the Album Academicum will also be amended. It will state that the dismissal has formally been revoked. The UvA does not announce any financial compensation in the information consulted.
The decision coincides with the unveiling of a new war memorial in the courtyard of the Oudemanhuispoort. The monument bears the names of 254 students and 28 staff members who died during the Second World War. It was developed on the initiative of students, researchers and alumni and designed by Thonik.
The university links the monument to a broader reassessment of its own history. This concerns not only remembrance of victims, but also institutional responsibility for decisions carried out during the occupation.
The step is therefore primarily institutional and historical in nature. The UvA is changing the official registration of the dismissals and acknowledges that staff lost their positions as a result of persecution and occupation policies. The public information page does not elaborate further on the consequences of the decision for relatives or ongoing historical research.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The UvA has formally revoked historical dismissals.
- The dismissals were carried out by the municipal organisation during the occupation.
- The university is amending historical records.
- A new war memorial has been installed.
Left
Arguments An institution should not only remember victims, but also accept responsibility for its own actions. Formal legal redress is the minimum needed to make exclusion and institutional cooperation visible.
Values Equality, redress, recognition of victims and institutional responsibility.
Consequences Explicit recognition can strengthen trust and historical awareness, but may also raise new questions about further compensation.
Centre
Arguments The university should carefully correct historical records on the basis of research, without directly applying contemporary standards to individual administrators. Transparent archiving is the most important step.
Values Historical accuracy, care, proportionality and continuity.
Consequences A factual correction makes the past easier to reconstruct, but leaves room for further research into responsibility and consequences.
Right
Arguments Recognition is appropriate, but institutions should be cautious about applying contemporary moral judgements to decisions made under a dictatorship. The legal redress should remain historically precise and should not develop into unlimited liability.
Values Legal certainty, historical context, individual responsibility and institutional restraint.
Consequences Restraint may limit legalisation, but relatives may experience it as insufficient recognition.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The facts come mainly from the official UvA publication and are supplemented with historical context from Amsterdam government sources. Unpublished consequences for relatives have not been filled in.
- confirmed The UvA decided on 15 September 2026 to formally revoke the dismissals in question. — This is stated on the official UvA page. source
- confirmed The legal redress concerns Jewish staff and staff dismissed for resistance activities. — The UvA explicitly names both groups. source
- confirmed During the occupation, the UvA was part of the municipal organisation of Amsterdam. — The UvA describes this in its explanation of the dismissals. source
- confirmed The new monument lists 254 students and 28 staff members. — These figures appear on the UvA page about the monument. source
Editor's note
The UvA’s decision, the scope of the legal redress and the background to the wartime history have been confirmed. Public information mentions no financial compensation.Sources
- Oorlogsmonument Tweede Wereldoorlog — Universiteit van Amsterdam
- Ariërverklaring — Stadsarchief Amsterdam
- Gemeente Amsterdam biedt excuses aan voor rol bij Jodenvervolging — Gemeente Amsterdam
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „universiteit van amsterdam”
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- NOS — „universiteit van amsterdam”