Jacques Presser facts for kids
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Jacob (Jacques) Presser (born February 24, 1899, in Amsterdam; died April 30, 1970, in Amsterdam) was a Dutch historian, writer, and poet. He is best known for his important book Ashes in the Wind (The Destruction of the Dutch Jews). This book tells the story of how Jewish people in the Netherlands were treated during World War II. Presser made a big difference in how history was studied in the Netherlands and in Europe.
Early Life
Jacques Presser grew up in the old Jewish part of Amsterdam. His family was not rich; his father worked as a diamond cutter. His parents were Jewish but did not follow religious rules strictly. They also believed in socialism, which is about making society fairer for everyone. Later in his life, Jacques Presser also supported similar ideas. When he was a child, his family lived for a short time in Antwerp, Belgium.
After finishing a business college and working in an office for two years, he went to the University of Amsterdam. There, he studied history, art history, and Dutch language. He finished his studies with excellent grades in 1926. After that, he became a history teacher at the new Vossius Gymnasium school in Amsterdam.
In 1930, he met a famous historian named Jan Romein. Mr. Romein helped Presser get a job as a teacher at the Instituut voor Historische Leergangen. This was the start of his career as a university scholar.
During World War II
Presser was very worried about the growing hatred towards Jewish people in Nazi Germany. He wrote articles criticizing these actions. When Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, it was a huge shock for him. Because of the Nazi rules against Jewish people, he lost his teaching job at Vossius Gymnasium. However, he found work teaching at the Jewish Lyceum school.
In early 1943, his wife, Deborah Appel, was arrested. She was sent to Sobibor, a place where many people were killed during the war. She did not survive. Losing his wife deeply affected Presser for the rest of his life. To escape the Nazis, he went into hiding in several places, including the small town of Lunteren.
After the War
After World War II ended, Presser went back to his teaching job at the Vossius Gymnasium. He also became a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam. He taught about political history and how to study history.
In 1947, he helped create a new department at the university that focused on politics and society. He started teaching there too. From 1948, he also became a professor in the Faculty of Arts. His political beliefs, which were quite left-leaning, meant he didn't get promoted to full professor until 1952. He often spoke out about important political issues of his time. For example, he commented on the Dutch actions against Indonesia's independence and the activities of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy against suspected communists. He also wrote for left-leaning newspapers and magazines like De Waarheid, Vrij Nederland, and De Groene Amsterdammer.
In 1954, Presser married his second wife, Bertha Hartog.
In 1959, he took over from Jan Romein as the professor of Dutch history at the University of Amsterdam. In 1966, he became a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, which is a very respected group of scholars. Presser retired from his job on May 31, 1969. He sadly died suddenly on April 30, 1970.
Historical Works
One of Presser's most important books was a detailed story about Napoleon Bonaparte. It was first published in 1946. Unlike many books that praised Napoleon, Presser was quite critical. He showed Napoleon as a harsh ruler who used his power to control others. Presser believed Napoleon's rule was an early example of a modern dictatorship. The book also looked at how Napoleon used propaganda, police, the church, education, and the army to stay in power. (This book is only available in Dutch and German.)
In 1941, a publisher asked Presser to write a full history of the United States. He finished the first version while he was in hiding during the war. A new version came out in 1949. After World War II, many people in the Netherlands were very interested in US history. Presser's book was full of interesting stories and details. He clearly felt sympathy for the "underdogs" in American history. These included Native Americans, enslaved people, and poor immigrants. A new, updated version of the book was published in 1976 for the 200th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence. This book was mainly for Dutch readers, so it was never translated into other languages.
In 1950, the Dutch government asked Presser to study what happened to Jewish people in the Netherlands during the war. This project became his most famous historical work, Ondergang (meaning The Destruction of the Dutch Jews). He worked on this book for fifteen years, using many documents from the Dutch Institute for War Documentation. When it was published in 1965, it became a huge bestseller in the Netherlands. It is still the main book people use to learn about the persecution of Jewish people in the Netherlands during the German occupation. English versions came out in 1968 and 1969.
Presser's book tells powerful stories of how Jewish people were registered, marked, separated, and eventually sent away. He also shared stories of Jewish people who resisted, tried to escape, or went into hiding. He showed how Dutch government offices played a role in separating Jewish people. He also described the deep sadness felt by people whose lives were completely destroyed. Out of about 140,000 Jewish people in the Netherlands in 1940, about 107,000 were sent to Nazi camps between 1941 and 1944. Fewer than 6,000 of them returned in 1945.
Presser made a very important impact on Dutch history studies. His book about the Dutch Revolt against Spain (1568–1648) was first published in 1941. The second printing in 1942 was quickly banned by the German occupiers. After the war, it was reprinted four more times. For many years, it was the only complete modern study of the Dutch Revolt. In 1953, Presser introduced the term 'egodocuments'. This term describes personal writings like diaries, memoirs, autobiographies, interviews, and letters, which he found very interesting for historical study. He is considered one of the greatest Dutch historians of the 19th and 20th centuries, alongside other famous names like Johan Huizinga and Jan Romein.
Besides his historical work, Presser also wrote fiction. His book The Night of the Girondists was based on his experiences during the war. It won literary awards and became popular around the world. The story is set in the Dutch transit camp of Westerbork. The main character is a Jewish teacher who works with the Nazis, choosing other Jewish people to be sent to Auschwitz. But he later realizes that he, too, will share their terrible fate.
Presser also wrote poetry and even some crime stories.
Awards
- Dr. Wijnaendts Francken Prize in 1947 for his book Napoleon. Historie en legende (Napoleon. History and Legend).
- Lucy B. and C.W. van der Hoogt Prize in 1957 for his book The Night of the Girondists.
- He was made a Knight and became a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).
- The Remembrance Award in 1969 from the World Federation of Bergen-Belsen Associations.
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