Belgian yellow fabric patch – the badge of shame of the Jews of Belgium, marked with the letter J. Belgium, early 1940s.
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In October 1940, about five months after the German invasion of Belgium and the occupation of Belgium by Nazi Germany, the German military administration enacted a series of anti-Jewish laws. The Belgian Committee of Secretaries-General initially refused to cooperate in carrying out anti-Jewish measures, but later implemented the German directives. The German administration began seizing Jewish-owned businesses and removed Jews from positions in the civil service. Beginning on 27 May 1942, Jews were required to wear the yellow patch in order to mark them in public. The Belgian version bore a black letter “J” (abbreviation of Juif in French and Jood in Dutch) in the center of a yellow Star of David. Jews were required to display it prominently on their outer clothing when leaving their homes, and harsh punishments were imposed for non-compliance. The decree aroused public outrage in Belgium, and some officials in the Belgian civil authorities – in Brussels and Liège, at personal risk – refused to distribute the patch, thereby enabling many Jews to gain time in order to find hiding places. It is known that as early as 1940, the German authorities in Antwerp tried to enforce the wearing of the patch, but the policy was not implemented due to protests by non-Jewish citizens, some of whom even wore armbands in protest.
Size: 10×8 cm. Good condition.
