The Nazi regime's campaign against the Jewish population intensified significantly after the German occupation of the Netherlands in May 1940. By 1941, the Nazis were implementing increasingly severe measures against Jews, including a series of laws that stripped them of their rights and forced countless individuals into ghettos. The deportation of around 100,000 Jews to extermination camps marked a critical juncture in this campaign. Jews were systematically rounded up by the SS and police, often under the guise of labor and resettlement. They were taken from their homes, aggregated in transit camps, and eventually sent to concentration and extermination camps, primarily Auschwitz and Sobibor.

Logistically, the operation relied on deceit and intimidation, as the Jews were led to believe they were being relocated for work purposes. Instead, many met their fate in gas chambers. The Holocaust's infrastructure allowed for efficient mass killings, demonstrating the extreme lengths to which the Nazi regime would go to implement their genocidal policies. Public knowledge about the deportations grew, leading to various forms of resistance among the local population. However, widespread collaboration and fear hampered more significant acts of defiance.

This operation exemplified the horrors of state-sponsored anti-Semitism and laid the groundwork for the systematic extermination that would follow, ultimately resulting in the deaths of about six million Jews across Europe. The deportation from the Netherlands is notable not only for its scale but also for the shocking efficiency with which the Nazis executed their plans, deeply impacting the Jewish community and leading to a legacy of trauma that continues to resonate today.