Comment by expedition32

The Netherlands today is a secular country in which the government doesn't give a flying fuck about your religion or identity.

But the situation in 1940 was very different: religion permeated every fabric of society. Mind you the government simply took over the job of record keeping from the churches, temples and synagogues.

I am sure Jews today still keep lists about who is a Jew and so does every other religious denomination because such mundane information matters to them.