Walter Suskind and the rescue of
Jewish children in Holland
The Hollandse (Joodsche) Schouwburg Theater, which after July 18, 1942 had
been changed into a transit prison, was guarded by the German Secret Police and
the members of the infamous SS. The prison warden was Ferdinand Hugo Aus der
Fünten. All the inmates were Jewish, and all were subordinate to him; Walter
Suskind was their ombudsman -chairman-.
He was born in 1906 in Germany as the son of Dutch parents, and after the
November Pogrom of 1938 he escaped to Holland; he had Dutch citizenship,
spoke German fluently, and was well acquainted with the German mentality. As
a student he and the Nazi superior Aus der Fünten had been classmates. Walter
was aware of the fact, that under these conditions he was in an ideal position to
facilitate the escape of Jews. He and his co-workers made use of this situation
quite effectively. He also became a key figure with the children’s rescue
operations.
Suskind won the trust of his old schoolmate and of the guards as well. His way
of dealing with the Germans seemed so congenial, that some of the inmates
were offended by it and didn’t quite trust him. However, it was his way of
dealing with the Nazi superiors, which made possible his subversive activity in
conjunction with the Dutch resistance.
As is generally known lists of the names of the prisoners played a decisive role
during the deportation to the East.
