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Roll of ‘Yellow Star’ Fabric

From the collection of the Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam

h 60 cm x w 137 cm
1942

As of 3 May 1942, all Jews age six and older were required to wear a so-called yellow star visible on the left side of their clothing. It was yet another measure to isolate and exclude Jews from Dutch society. The word Jood  (Jew) appears in the middle of this six-pointed star, which has the same form as the Jewish Star of David.

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Simon Peereboom and his and his wife Roosje Peereboom-Beesemer in front of a Jewish Cultural Centre in Amsterdam in May 1942. The sign on the door behind them indicates that the yellow stars are sold out (Source: Image Bank WW2 – Jewish Historical Museum).
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These stars were printed on inexpensive yellow cotton in De Nijverheid, a textile factory in the Dutch city of Enschede that had previously belonged to a Jewish family. The company had been confiscated from them shortly before and placed under German supervision. The around 100,000 yellow stars needed in the Netherlands were probably printed on this one 10,000 metre roll of material. Production most likely took no more than a day. This made the sale of these stars for 4 cents each a rather lucrative business. In addition to the purchase price Jews had to turn in a textile ration coupon.