 The Swiss government persuaded Germany to stamp "J" on the passport of Jews in order to make it easier to refuse admission to Jewish refugees.When thousands of Jews tried to flee Austria after the Anschluss in March 1938, and again in 1942-1943 when Jews tried to escape deportation from France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, a large part of them were denied access to the country.During the Second World War 25,000 Jews were granted refugee status in Switzerland, but around 30,000 Jews were denied admission to the country.