On 5 May 1945, the Netherlands was liberated. More than 200,000 people did not live to see the day. Most of the victims were civilians. The vast majority were Jews. Out of the 107,000 deported Jews only a small number survived the Auschwitz and Sobibor extermination camps. For many people the liberation did not mean the end of the war. No warm welcome awaited them upon their return. Family members did not return, homes were occupied by other residents, and properties Jews had left for safekeeping had been appropriated.
But the war was not yet over