Committee for War Foster Children

The Committee for War Foster Children (Commissie voor Oorlogspleegkinderen) was established by the Dutch government on 13 August 1945. The committee's objective was to ensure that the fate of the children orphaned as a result of the war and the Holocaust be secured in the children's best interest. The stance taken by the committee was controversial from the outset.

Jewish groups felt that they were under represented on the Committee given that 84% of the children were Jewish. They argued that Jewish children, instead of being allowed to go to Jewish foster parents, were encouraged to stay with their existing (non- Jewish) foster parents. The committee, determined to be non-denominational, argued that if the children were happy in their adopted, non-Jewish environment, and it could not be proven that they came from orthodox family backgrounds, it would be in their best interests to stay put.