The Danish Underground

The rescue of the Danish Jews in October 1943 is a unique story of the Holocaust.

The Danes had been living under German occupation since April 1940. Considered Aryan according to Nazi racial theory, the German occupation of Denmark was relatively moderate, and the democratically elected Danish government and parliament, as well as the police and justice systems were maintained. In the first years of occupation the situation of the Danish Jews did not change. However in 1943 the situation changed dramatically. Following a sharp increase in strikes and sabotage against the Germans, Germany intended to restrict the Danes’ autonomy, and the Danish government resigned in objection. The German military commander declared a state of emergency, and the German plenipotentiary in Denmark prepared to deport the 7,800 Jews in the country.

News of the planned roundup was passed on and an operation was put in place to warn the Jews, move them to hiding places and to the fishing ports, from where they were transported to Sweden. The wide popular support and the proximity of Sweden enabled the Danish underground to transport 7,200 Jews and some 700 of their non-Jewish relatives to Sweden in the course of three weeks in October 1943. 500 Jews – mostly elderly and sick – were caught and deported to Theresienstadt.

This rescue operation by the Danish underground is exceptional because of the widespread agreement and resolve of many Danes from all walks of life – intellectuals, fishermen, priests, policemen, doctors, simple workers – to save the Jews. It was a national refutation of Nazi Germany and a reaffirmation of democratic and humanistic values.

To pay tribute to this exceptional rescue operation and in the understanding that this was a joint effort, Yad Vashem decided to honor the Danish underground by planting a tree in the Avenue of the Righteous. This was in spirit of the Danish underground’s request not to honor individual members but to pay tribute to the movement. Nevertheless, several Danes whose acts of rescue were exceptional were honored individually with the Righteous Among the Nations title.