David Cohen  
The Dutch Jewish Council during the Holocaust

David Cohen was born in Deventer, Holland in 1882, he was an expert in papyrology and became a professor of ancient history, first in Leyden, and then in Amsterdam.

He was active in Jewish affairs from an early age - he joined the Zionist movement in 1904 and held key posts in it. He was one of the sponsors and organisers of the Zionist Students Union.and the Jewish Youth Federation.

During World War One David Cohen was active in providing assistance to Jewish refugees, mainly from Germany, and became the secretary of the Committee for Refugees. He was a member of the Jewish Council in The Hague and then in Amsterdam and in 1934 was elected to the Standing Committee of the Union of Ashkenazic Communities.

In 1933 when the Nazis rose to power in Germany, it was on Cohen’s initiative that the Comte voor Bijzondere Joodse Belangen (Committee for Special Jewish Affairs) was established and he became the executive chairman of its sub-committee on refugees.
   
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The Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team

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