I cannot talk about politics. Wednesday night's debate debacle on ABC was truly an abomination beyond words. Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolous should have bamboo placed under their fingernails for the travesty they led. Next time maybe ABC should have Paris Hilton lead the debate -- she would do a better job.
So onto more important and uplifting stories and lessons -- because we NEED THEM more than ever.
Passover is this weekend, and with the overwhelming (positive) response to my post on the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising, I have decided to write a post about another key and monumental episode in the annals of WWII – the time an entire nation rose above it all to do the right thing. While maybe not as well known as the Warsaw Ghetto -- this story is equally important and inspiring.
On April 9, 1940, the Nazis rolled into Denmark. With the small Danish Army no match for the Blitzkrieg of the Germans, the government of Denmark surrendered within hours. Compared to the brutal and devastating occupation of Poland and the Netherlands, the invasion of Denmark was mild. Since the Germans considered the Danes "of good Aryan stock" – life at first was allowed to go on pretty much "business as usual." King Christian kept the throne, the government was not disbanded and control of the press was retained by the Danish authorities. Denmark was the "model protectorate."
And most surprisingly, the Germans (at first) did not press the Danes on a solution to their "Jewish question." In 1940, there were approximately 8,000 Jews living in Denmark. But by late 1941, the Nazis began to press Danish officials on dealing with the Jews. The Danes refused to yield, as the government punished anti-Semitic acts, like banning anti-Semitic press and arresting the people involved with a torching of the Copenhagen synagogue. With battles raging in Russia and larger Jewish populations to transport to the camps in Eastern Europe, the Germans did not push the matter, nor devote their full attention to Denmark.
As the occupation wore on, a resistance movement in Denmark grew stronger and more brazen. The underground began to sabotage Nazi facilities and clash with the German military. To stem the tide of resistance, the Germans "asked" the Danes to ban strikes and impose a curfew. When the Danes refused, the Germans declared a state of emergency and in August 1943, the Danish government was replaced by German rule. The Jews of Denmark had lost their protection.
One month later, the Germans planned to deport the 8,000 Danish Jews to Auschwitz. German diplomat Georg Duckwitz, who had learned of the deportations, secretly met with the Swedish Prime Minister (like Switzerland, Sweden was neutral during the war) to ensure the Stockholm government would give refuge to the Danish Jews. Once that guarantee was in place, Duckwitz told the head of the Danish Social Democratic Party about the Germans plans, who in turn notified the Danish resistance. On Rosh Hashanah 1943, the Jews of Denmark were warned to go into hiding. With the help of former government workers, word spread fast. Many Jews were taken in by their Christian neighbors and friends.
From Sept 29- Oct 2, the Jews were smuggled out of Denmark to Sweden, from points all along Oresund strait (this strait separates Denmark from Sweden – and at is narrowest is about 1.5 miles wide). A variety of vessels manned by the Danes were used for this mass exodus – fishing boats, kayaks, freighters and rowboats. Most of the money for the rescue was supplied by wealth Danes. Some Jews were caught by the Gestapo, a few were lost at sea when boats capsized. But since there were so few German officials in Denmark to oversee the deportation --- their escape for the most part went either unnoticed or was ignored.
Of all the Jews in Denmark, less than 450 were captured by the Nazis. Most of these prisoners were sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. With the right amount of political will, connections and determination, civil servants of the Danish government in-exile somehow persuaded the Germans to allow the Danish Red Cross to visit their deportees in Theresienstadt and to not send them to Auschwitz. 51 Danish Jews died during their imprisonment, and the 400 survivors after German surrender were turned over to the Red Cross. Over 95% of all Danish Jews survived the war, the highest percent of any country in occupied Europe.
Contrary to popular belief, King Christian did not wear the yellow Star of David as an identifier. There was never an ordered issued to the Jews of Denmark to wear one, as there was in the Netherlands, Belgium and other countries.
The Danish Jewish community was well integrated into society. When the orders came from the Nazis to begin "dealing" with the Jews – the Danish church, almost all political parties and the wealthy citizens of Copenhagen refused to comply and pledged solidarity with their Jewish neighbors. The Danish priests and ministers preached regularly at sermons that they should remain united with their fellow citizens.
The actions of the entire nation of Denmark are remarkable in light of what was transpiring all over Europe. Against all odds, the Danish people stood by their Jewish citizens and were instrumental in saving the overwhelming majority of them from Nazi persecution and death. Also the deeds of German diplomat Duckwitz, who was a member of the Nazi party, is truly extraordinary. Both the resistance movement and Duckwitz (who went on to be the West German ambassador to Denmark after the war, lived until 1973) have been honored at Yad Vashem as Righteous among Nations.
So at the Saturday seder next to the chair for the Warsaw Ghetto fighters, goes a seat for the people of Denmark – who chose to challenge and defeat the will of the Nazi machine.
To all a peaceful holiday. And there will be even more peace of mind soon --- as Jan 21, 2009 is not that far away.