History & Area Studies / World History / European History

Switzerland’s Dark Secret: How the Swiss Invented the J Stamp & Turned Away Jewish Refugees

Exil und Identität: Die italienischen Juden in der Schweiz 1943–1945

Silvano Longhi

Historian Silvano Longhi’s groundbreaking work, *Exil und Identität: Die italienischen Juden in der Schweiz 1943–1945*, reveals a shocking truth: Switzerland, the supposed humanitarian oasis, actively collaborated with the Nazis to block Jewish refugees. Based on 45,000 forgotten files from the Swiss Federal Archives, this video exposes how Swiss officials invented the infamous J stamp on passports, enforced brutal border policies that sent families back to death camps, and even confiscated refugees’ belongings to pay for their own internment. Discover the untold story of Italian Jews who fled to Switzerland only to face bureaucratic cruelty, forced labor, and family separation—and how the myth of Swiss neutrality was built on a foundation of complicity. This is a must-watch for anyone who thinks they know the full history of the Holocaust.