Over the last few decades Denmark has become noted for its Danish Resistance Movement and in particular the night of October 1, 1943 when resistance fighters smuggled 7,200 Jews and 700 non-Jewish relatives to neutral Sweden so they would not be taken by the Nazis and murdered in German concentration camps.
But now, 60 years later, there is acknowledgement, sometimes angry and sometimes painful, of Denmark's responsibility in knowingly sending some Jews to their deaths at that time, of Danish companies and farmers profiting from the war, and if needing to rewrite current textbooks so they speak the full truth of what took place in this peaceful Scandinavian country.
HISTORY
The relationship between Jews and the Nordic region has generally been a positive one, with Denmark being the first of the three Scandinavian countries where Jews were welcomed. The township of Gluckstadt was the earliest settlement of Jews in Denmark, begun by those who accepted an invitation from King Christian IV. The king sent a message on November 22, 1622 to the leaders of the Jewish communities in Hamburg (Germany) and Amsterdam (Netherlands). Most became active in manufacturing and trade. Other worked as bankers and jewelers to the Danish royal court. Jewish communities in Denmark began flourishing in the duchies of Holstein (Holsten) and Schleswig (Slesvig). News of these communities quickly spread and many German Jews tried to emigrate from Germany to Denmark; however they needed royal authorization to enter the country and gain citizenship. All Jews were given Danish citizenship in 1814 and the last legislative restriction against their entrance, travel and citizenship in Denmark was abolished in 1849 by the Danish Constitution. These two duchies were ruled by the King of Denmark until 1864, when Prussian and Austrian troops occupied the territory and drove the Danes out of it. The Holsteiners spoke German and Low German, the Schleswigers spoke German, Low German, and Danish, if they lived far enough north. The southern half of Schleswig (Slesvig) and Holstein (Holsten) are now part of Germany, called the state of Schleswig-Holstein. The border is between Tönder and Flensburg. The northern half of the duchy Schleswig became part of Denmark again in 1920.
Moving forward to 1940, as Nazi Germany advanced in its attempted domination of Europe, Denmark did not strongly fight its invasion by Germany. The King made a deal in which the nation was allowed to maintain its independence in exchange for a promise of non-resistance and compliance with a demand that all German Jews be sent to Germany. Denmark did comply, sending at least 19 German Jews to their deaths at concentrations camps in Germany between 1940 and 1942. However an underground movement of people increasingly shocked by the atrocities of the Nazis began protesting around Denmark and in 1943, German troops took over military barracks in Copenhagen's Christiana area near the harbor and other areas. Hitler demanded that all German Jews who sought refuge in Denmark from the persecution in Germany, be forcibly sent back to that country. Their hopes of survival were crushed. Martial law was declared. Adolph Hitler then ordered the deportation of all Danish Jews to Germany. This solidified the Danish Resistance Movement in which the Danes defied the order and smuggled over 7,000 Danish Jews in boats across the Øresund to neutral Sweden.
