Denmark By: Tara Gambrel

Basic Denmark Information Denmark is a Scandinavian sovereign state in Northern Europe, with two overseas countries also forming integral parts of the kingdom: Greenland and the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. Denmark is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, located southwest of Sweden. The Kingdom of Denmark is a constitutional monarchy organized in the form of a parliamentary democracy, with its seat of government in the capital city of Copenhagen. The kingdom is unitary, with powers to manage internal affairs being devolved from the central government to Greenland.

Jews in Denmark and the Invasion and Occupation of Denmark Jews had lived in Denmark since the 17 th century. When they first arrived in 1622, Jews were not allowed to live in certain towns, but by 1814, they were granted full Danish citizenship. When Nazi Germany invaded Denmark on April 9 th, 1940, the Royal Danish Army put up scant resistance. The Royal Navy surrendered without firing a shot. In the beginning, whatever negative attitudes the Danes had about the Germans were expressed through passive resistance, or giving them the “cold shoulder”, rather than by open defiance, armed resistance, or sabotage. The Danes were given a degree of auto many unheard of in any other German occupied country in Europe.

Nazi Era After facing an onslaught of anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incidents recently, Israeli officials in Denmark and Spain have decided to call for precautionary measures. In April 1933, Christian X was scheduled to appear at the central synagogue in Copenhagen to celebrate its centennial anniversary. When Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany in January 1933, the community leaders suggested that the king postpone his visit. The king insisted, however, and became the first Nordic monarch to visit a synagogue. A period of tension ensued, for the Danish population in general and its Jewish citizens in particular. Danish policy sought to ensure its independence and neutrality by placating the neighboring Nazi regime. When Denmark was put under Germany military occupation as a result of Operation Weserübung on April , the situation became increasingly precarious.

History In 1933, in a service attended by Danish King Christian X, the Jews of Copenhagen celebrated the hundredth anniversary of their synagogue's existence. Over the next seven years, Denmark would welcome approximately 4,500 German and eastern European Jewish refugees. Around 3,000 of these new arrivals were known as chalutzim, the Hebrew word for “pioneers,” who came to Denmark for agricultural training before emigration Palestine. When Germany occupied Denmark on April 9, 1940, the Jewish population was approximately 7,500, accounting for 0.2% of the country's total population. About 6,000 of these Jews were Danish citizens. The rest were German and eastern European refugees. Most Jews lived in the country's capital and largest city, Copenhagen. Until 1943, the German occupation regime took a relatively benign approach to Denmark. The Germans were eager to cultivate good relations with a population they perceived as "fellow Aryans." Although Germany dominated Danish foreign policy, the Germans permitted the Danish government complete autonomy in running domestic affairs, including maintaining control over the legal system and police forces.

More History… Unlike in other western European countries, the Danish government did not require Jews to register their property and assets, to identify themselves, or to give up apartments, homes, and businesses. In addition, Jews were not required to wear a yellow star or badge. Two attempts were made to set fire to the Copenhagen synagogue in 1941 and 1942, but local police intervened both times to prevent the arson and arrest the perpetrators. The Jewish community continued to function, including holding religious services regularly throughout the German occupation. The refusal of the Danish authorities to discriminate against the Danish Jews and King Christian's outspoken support of the Jewish community has given rise to the apocryphal story that the king himself wore a yellow star. Though untrue, the story reflects the king's opposition to persecuting Denmark's Jewish citizens and residents and the popular perception of Denmark as a country which protected the Jews

More History… Danish Jews remained in Theresienstadt, where dozens of them died, until In late April of that year, German authorities handed the Danish prisoners over to the custody of the Swedish Red Cross. Virtually all of the refugees returned to Denmark in Although a housing shortage required some of them to live in shelters for a few months, most found their homes and businesses as they had left them, since the local authorities had refused to permit the Germans or their collaborators in Denmark to seize or plunder Jewish homes. In total, some 120 Danish Jews died during the Holocaust, either in Theresienstadt or during the flight from Denmark. This relatively small number represents one of the highest Jewish survival rates for any German-occupied European country.

Some Pics… A Preschool class in Copenhagen, Denmark Danish Jews registering in Sweden after escaping from Denmark. Jewish children in the Lublin ghetto.

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