Addition

Special Exemptions of Deportation: The "Joodsch Lokaal Sperre"

(Lok-Z and/or Lok-A)

Jewish tradespeople such as bakers, hairdressers, butchers, fishmongers, grocers, etc. received a special exemption (Sperre), so that the Jewish population could continue to use the tradespeople. As the number of Jewish residents of Amsterdam shrank due to the deportations, these exemptions were cancelled. On July 27, 1942, Meijer de Vries, the General Adviser of the Jewish Council, sent a circular to all information offices.

The details of all owners and branch holders of still open Jewish businesses, including those who have not or have not applied for the 'Jewish Space' sign, who are called up for employment in Germany or the Netherlands and have not yet been exempted, must be immediately reported to the office of the General. Advisor, Nieuwe Keizersgracht 58, Room 301, stating surname, first name, date of birth, branche, address. This also applies to wholesalers. The details of the personnel who were in paid employment on 13 June this year must also be reported in the same way with the necessary supporting documents. It must be stated whether someone is the owner (or branch holder) or staff. Whether exemption will be obtained through a statement is completely uncertain; Please state this explicitly to the person concerned.

A registration was called for, but whether an exemption would actually be granted was therefore completely uncertain. This too is another example of the great uncertainty in which the Jewish Council operated. In fact, the “Jewish Space Exemption”(Joods Lokaal Sperre), which is linked to the license to operate a Jewish business, is a special Jewish Council-exemption.

Source: Publication "Vermoedelijk op Transport (Presumably on Transport), page 42 and 42 by Raymond Schütz.