from: Denmark; In: Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971), vol. 5
presented by Michael Palomino (2008)
Encyclopaedia Judaica
(1971): Jews in Denmark, vol. 5, col. 1536, map of the Jewish
communities in Denmark in the 19th century: Copenhagen, Roskilde,
Hillerod, Helsingor, Ringsted, Stagelse, Naestved, Nakskov, Svendborg,
Faaborg, Nybord, Odense, Middelfart, Fredericia, Haderslev, Horsens,
Aarhus, Randers, Viborg, Aalborg. Old Jewish cemeteries in Denmark:
Copenhagen, Slagelse, Nakskov, Faaborg, Assens, Odense, Randers,
Viborg, Aalborg. Jewish communities in Schleswig Holstein which was
Danish before: Schleswig, Friedrichstadt, Kiel, Rendsburg, Luebeck,
Moisling, Glueckstadt, Altona, Wandsbek.
|
|
[Jewish
settlement in Denmark since 1622 - Sephardi Jews from Northern Germany
- steady development]
DENMARK, kingdom in N.W. Europe. [[Danish: Danmark]]
It was the first of the three Scandinavian countries where Jews were
permitted to settle. The first arrivals were invited by King Christian
IV, who, on Nov. 22, 1622, at the request of his Jewish mintmaster
Albertus *Denis, sent a message to the leaders of the Sephardi
communities in Amsterdam and Hamburg inviting Sephardi Jews to settle
in the recently established township of Glueckstadt on the eastern
border of Elbe in his duchy of Holstein, offering them religious
liberty and commercial privileges.
A few accepted the invitation and began trading and manufacturing
operations there. Other Sephardi Jews were also active in Denmark in
the 17th century as financiers and jewelers to the royal family and
members of the Danish nobility. Benjamin *Mussafia, author of the
Talmudic dictionary Musaf ha-Arukh,
was appointed physician to the royal family in 1646. His son-in-law
Gabriel *Milan became governor of the Danish West Indies in 1684.
Members of Sephardi (col. 1536)
families such as Abenzur, Franco, Granada, De Lima, Meldola, De Meza,
Moresco, and Texeira de Mattos continued to engage in financial
operations in Denmark during the 17th and 18th centuries, but gradually
lost their mercantile significance in the state economy and their
predominance in the Jewish community.
Jewish communities existed in the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein,
then under Danish rule, from the beginning of the 17th century, in
Altona and Ottensen (now part of Altona).
German Jews wishing to settle in the kingdom of Denmark proper had to
produce royal authorization before entering the country. This was
granted only to applicants in possession of sufficient capital to
establish industrial enterprises, to deal in substantial amounts of
Danish merchandise, or to build their own houses. Later, German Jews,
mainly from Hamburg and Altona, who married Danish Jewesses were also
permitted to settle in Denmark. Rabbis, teachers, and other communal
functionaries were permitted to practice in Denmark if guaranteed by
leaders of the community. There were 1,830 Jews in Denmark in 1782
(1,503 in *Copenhagen).
[Danish citizenship for Jews since
1814 - emancipation by law since 1849 - intermarriages and low
birthrate]
The 19th century was a period of cultural, social, and economic
progress for Danish Jewry, though there was a spate [[wave]] of
anti-Jewish polemics between 1813 and 1819. Jews received Danish
citizenship in 1814, and the last restrictive legislation was abolished
in 1849 by the Danish constitution.
While at the beginning of the 19th century the majority of Danish Jews
were in poor circumstances, by about 1900 they mostly belonged to the
middle and upper classes. The Jewish population increased steadily
until, in the middle of the 19th century, there were about 4,200 Jews
living in Denmark. The number subsequently declined to 3,500 in 1901
owing to intermarriage and a low birth rate.
[Jewish immigration since 1903 by
pogroms Eastern Europe]
After the *Kishinev pogrom of 1903 a number of refugees from Eastern
Europe entered Denmark, some in transit for the United States via
Bremen and Hamburg. About 200 who arrived in 1904-05 obtained permanent
residence, and their number subsequently increased to approximately
2,000. After some difficulties in social and cultural adjustment they
gradually integrated into the old established Danish-Jewish society.
The total Jewish population with the new immigrants numbered 6,000 in
1921 and has remained substantially the same.
[19th century: Jewish
personalities in Denmark]
On a footing of equality with their countrymen, the Jews in Denmark
have been able to contribute to the development of their country in
every sphere, and many have achieved international renown
[[reputation]]. They include the meteorologist Heinrich Brandes
(1777-1834), the literary critic Georg *Brandes, the botanist Nathanael
*Wallich, the physicians and scientists Ludvig Levin *Jacobson, Adolph
*Hannover, and Carl Julius *Alomonsen. Joseph *Michaelsen, who served
as postmaster-general, is considered the originator of the Universal
Postal Union.
Among outstanding politicians and high-ranking state officials were the
minister of finance Edvard *Brandes, Herman Trier (1845-1925), a member
of parliament and of Copenhagen municipal council, Moritz Levy
(1824-92), and Marcus Rubin (1854-1923), directors of the Danish
National Bank, and Georg Cohn, who served as state adviser on
international law.
In the cultural sphere, contributions have been made by the poets Meir
Aaron *Goldschmidt, Henrik *Hertz, Henri *Nathansen, Louis *Levy, and
Poul *Levin; the painters and sculptors Ernst Meyer, Joel *Ballin,
Albert Gottschalk (1886-1906), and Theodor Philipsen (1840-1920); and
the composers Fini Henriques (1867-1940), and Victor Bendix
(1851-1926).
Valuable contributions to science and learning in Denmark have been
made by the psychologist Edgar Rubin and the physicist Niels *Bohr.
[Cultural activities of the Danish
Jews in 18th century: Orthodox and Reform Jewry - the chief rabbis]
Until the end of the 18th century the Jewish community (col. 1537)
remained strictly Orthodox. Influenced by the emancipation movement in
Germany, however, a *Reform party was formed in Denmark by Mendel Levin
*Nathanson who initiated several changes in the administration and
educational system of the Jewish community of Copenhagen. The Danish
Reform movement occasioned a schism within the Jewish community which
was aggravated when Nathanson tried with the aid of Isaac Noah
*Mannheimer, a young Danish Jewish theologian, to introduce a Reform
service in Copenhagen.
When Abraham Alexander *Wolff took office as chief rabbi (1829) he
succeeded to some extent in reconciling the Orthodox and Reform
parties. He was succeeded by David *Simonsen, the first native-born
rabbi in Denmark; after ten years of office he retired to devote
himself to Jewish studies and worldwide philanthropic activity.
The Mahzike Hadas association was founded in connection with the
retirement in 1910 of the strictly Orthodox chief rabbi Tobias
Lewenstein. The succeeding chief rabbis were Max Schornstein and Moses
Friediger, who was deported to Theresienstadt in 1943 but survived to
return to Denmark, where he died in 1947. Hew was succeeded by Marcus
*Melchior and in 1969 by his son Bent Melchior (1929- ).
[Racist Zionism in Denmark: World
Zionist Congress headquarters in Copenhagen - training farms]
The Zionist movement was introduced into Denmark in 1902 with the
establishment of the Dansk Zionistforening. The World Zionist Congress
headquarters moved to and operated from Copenhagen for the duration of
the World War I period. Between 1933 and 1945 about 1,700 potential
pioneers and members of Youth Aliyah from Central European countries
received agricultural training with Danish farmers.
The Danmark Loge of the B'nai B'rith was founded in 1912.
[Jewish Newspapers in Denmark]
Jewish periodicals in the Danish language have appeared in Denmark
since 1907, except during the German occupation in World War II.
Magazines in Yiddish appeared between 1911 and 1936 [[by the Yiddish
speaking Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe]], and a Yiddish daily,
the Folktsaytung, appeared
during World War I. A literary periodical Tidsskrift for jødisk Historie og
Litteratur, sponsored by the Danmark Loge, was published in
Copenhagen from 1917 to 1925.
[JU.M. / R.E.]
Holocaust Period. [little Jewish
population is not a danger for the Danish people]
For almost three and a half years, from the day of Denmark's occupation
on April 9, 1940 to the major crisis in the Danish-German relationship
at the end of August 1943, the Danish Jewish community, including about
1,400 refugees from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia and 300
children of *Youth Aliyah, remained more or less unmolested. This
unusual phenomenon can be explained by the fact that while the Danes
collaborated with the Germans in the so-called policy of negotiation,
they simultaneously extended full political, social, juridical, and
personal protection to the Jews and to their property. So convincing
was the steadfast behavior of the Danish authorities and the
population that the Germans did not (col. 1538)
think it profitable to injure the small Danish Jewish population as
long as they were interested in the smooth operation of the
Danish-German Agreement of April 9, 1940.
[Danish and German efforts to keep
the Danish Jews in peace]
[...] Until that time [[until summer 1943]] the civil representatives
of the German Reich, Cécil von Renthe-Fink, as well as the Nazi Werner
Best, who succeeded him in office, did everything they could in order
to avoid a conflict with the Danes over the issue of the Jews. They
succeeded in this endeavor in spite of repeated attempts by Nazi
authorities in Germany and small groups in Denmark to raise the issue.
Martin Luther, Joachim von *Ribbentrop's representative at the *Wannsee
Conference in January 1942, stated that action against Jews in the
Nordic countries had to be postponed.
Public opinion in Denmark on the "Jewish" question was unanimous and
had been expressed by the leader of the United Danish Youth Movement,
Professor Hal Koch, just before the conference. Reacting to some
incendiary declarations by Nazi newspapers in Denmark, he proclaimed
that all suggestions to the effect that Danish Jews should be molested
must be categorically rejected because the issue was one of both
justice and respect for the Jews and the preservation of Danish freedom
and law.
The Jewish community, anxious to cooperate with the Danish authorities,
kept its members as inconspicuous as possible and refrained from all
illegal activity, including escape. Only a group of ḥalutzim tried to escape illegally
with partial success. [...]
[Summer 1943: Danish resistance
provoking the break - NS representative Best planning the deportation -
organized shipping to Sweden by Danish resistance, captains and
fishermen - Swedish service for the Danish resistance groups - almost
no robbery of Jewish property]
Mounting Danish resistance during the summer of 1943 eventually
destroyed the popular base of this agreement which was eventually
abolished by the Germans in Aug. 28, 1943. [...]
In September 1943 martial law was declared in Denmark. Anxious to
sustain his position, Best advocated using this opportunity to deport
the Jews. His plan was opposed in German circles in Denmark, and
several leading German personalities tried to ensure its cancellation.
Best, who was mainly interested in the additional police force
transferred to Denmark in order to execute the deportation, was not
very eager to carry out the order. F.G. Dukwitz, the attaché for
shipping affairs, (col. 1539)
maintained good relations with leading Danish Social Democrats and
informed them of the impending danger for the Jews. His warning was
quickly spread by Danish citizens, organizations, and by the Jews
themselves, and overnight a rescue organization sprang up that helped
7,200 Jews and about 700 non-Jewish relatives escape to Sweden in less
than three weeks. Danish captains and fishermen carried out this
operation.
What began as a spontaneous popular movement was developed into an
organized action by the Danish resistance movement. The cost of the
transfer amounted to about 12 million Danish crowns, of which the Jews
themselves paid approximately 6 1/2 to 7 million. The rest was provided
out of private and public Danish contributions.
Out of the action grew a regular flow of illegal traffic between
Denmark and Sweden. Danish and Swedish Jews helped to organize it and
kept it financially sound. This traffic continued until the end of the
war and provided the Danish underground with a constant line of
communication with the Allies.
During the night of the persecution (Oct. 1-2, 1943) and following it,
less than 500 Jews were seized by the Germans. They were sent to
*Theresienstadt and remained there until the spring of 1945, when they
too were brought to Sweden by the action of the Swedish Red Cross,
headed by Count *Bernadotte. Upon their return from Sweden to Denmark
at the end of the war, most of the Jews found their property intact. It
may be estimated that approximately 120 people perished because of the
persecution: about 50 in Theresienstadt and a few more in other camps.
Close to the same number committed suicide or were drowned on their way
to Sweden. Less than 2% of the Jewish population of Denmark perished.
[L.Y.]
Contemporary Period. [Friendly
relationship between Jews and non-Jews]
The Jewish population of Denmark at the end of 1968 was about the same
as before World War II, i.e., between 6,000 and 7,000: 25% of the total
population were descendants of the old established Danish Jews and 67%
were emigrants from Eastern Europe (col. 1540)
and their descendants: 8% consisted of refugees from Germany and their
children. Only 1% of the Jewish population resided outside Copenhagen.
In the course of 1969 a further 1,500 Jewish refugees from Poland were
taken into Denmark, mostly into the Copenhagen area. Almost all the
Jews who were rescued during the war, as well as most of the deportees
to *Theresienstadt and other camps, returned to Denmark at the end of
the war.
The birth rate continues to be low (only about 60 children born each
year) and this is insufficient to keep the Jewish population at its
present level. The fine relationship between Jews and non-Jews has been
maintained in the postwar period. Mutual goodwill has been demonstrated
on occasions, such as the tenth and the 25th anniversaries of the
rescue of Danish Jewry from Nazi persecution, or, in 1964, on the 150th
anniversary of the granting of citizenship to Danish Jews, as well as
by the sympathetic interest of the population in Jewish problems and in
the State of [[racist Zionist Free Mason Herzl CIA]] Israel.
[1945-1971: Jewish personalities
in Denmark - Jewish cultural life]
Many Jews have also been prominent in the postwar period. Stephan
*Hurwitz was appointed Ombudsman in 1955, when this high position in
the administration was established; Henry *Grünbaum was minister of
finance in the labor government from 1965 to 1968; and Erik *Warburg
was principal of the Copenhagen University from 1956 to 1958.
The Jewish community is state-recognized and is therefore entitled to
assess all Jews in the country for taxation, unless they resign
formally from the community. This recognition also involves the rights
of the rabbis to perform marriages and to register births and deaths.
All community institutions are administered in a strictly traditional
way. Most of the members of the Orthodox Mahzike Hadas community belong
simultaneously to the larger Jewish community. Community affairs are
directed by a board of seven members, elected by an assembly of 20,
which in turn is chosen in general elections. In addition to all
religious services the community maintains a Jewish day school and
three kindergartens, homes for the aged and a spacious community
center. The community supports an active [[racist Herzl]] Zionist
Federation, *WIZO, youth organizations, *B'nai B'rith, and organization
of craftsmen, and two choirs.
Danish Jewry has been participating in all efforts to aid the State of
[[racist Zionist Free Mason Herzl CIA]] Israel and has strengthened its
ties with other Jewish communities through close cooperation with the
*Conference on Jewish Material Claims, the *American Joint Distribution
Committee, and Jewish communities in Europe.
[B.ME.]
Relations with [racist Zionist
Free Mason Herzl CIA] Israel.
The relations between Denmark and [[racist Zionist Free Mason Herzl
CIA]] Israel have been friendly and warm. Denmark was among the
countries that voted for the partition of Palestine [[against all
Arabs]], and thus the establishment of a Jewish state, on Nov. 29,
1947, and recognized Israel soon after its establishment [[without
declaration of borderlines and with the Zionist aim to have the rivers
Nile and Euphrates as borderlines according to 1st Mose chapter 15
phrase 18]].
formal diplomatic relations were established on the ambassadorial
level. Denmark has usually supported Israel at the United Nations and
other international organizations [[against all Arabs and against
"Soviet Union"]]. Of special note was its active support for Israel's
right to free passage through the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Eilat,
expressed in the attempt of the Danish boat Inge Toft to transport Israel cargo
through the Suez Canal in 1959.
Trade relations developed from a modest scope and reached to over
$9,500,000 in 1968, with a balance between imports and exports [[to
compensate the Arab and "Soviet" boycott movement against racist
Zionist Free Mason Herzl CIA Israel]].
Tourism from Denmark to Israel grew substantially in the 1960s. The two
countries maintain active friendship leagues, which concern themselves
with disseminating information, caring for tourists, exchange visits of
public figures, scientists, artists, etc. In most of the cities of
[[racist Zionist Free Mason Herzl CIA]] Israel, streets or squares are
named in honor of Denmark. In Jerusalem a monument to the rescue of
Danish Jewry was erected on the 25th (col. 1541)
anniversary of the operation, and a comprehensive school in that city
is named in Denmark's honor, and there is a King Christian X hospital
at Eitanim. From the beginning of the 1960s, many thousands of Danish
youth went to [[racist Zionist Free Mason Herzl CIA]] Israel every year
for visits extending to a number of months, mostly working on
Kibbutzim. This movement led to the creation of a Danish organization
of youth who worked on kibbutzim.
[Y.ME.]
Bibliography
-- A.D. Cohen: De Mosaiske Troesbekjenderes Stilling i Danmark ...
(1837)
-- M. L. Nathanson: Historisk Fremstilling af Jødernes Forhold og
Stilling i Danmark (1860)
-- J. Salomon and J. Fischer: Mindeskrift i Anledning af
Hundredaarsdagen for Anordningen af 29. Marts 1814 (1914)
-- B. Balslev: De Danske Jøders Historie (1932)
-- Moritzen, in: Contemporary Jewish Record, 3 (1940), 274-80
-- M. Hartvig: Jøderne i Danmark i tiden 1600-1800 (1951)
-- G. Hartmann and f. Schulsinger: Physical and Mental Stress... Within
the Jewish Population of Denmark (1952)
-- J. Margolinsky: Gravspladseree på mosaisk vestre kirkegaard
1886-1955 (1955)
-- idem: Gravspladserne på mosaisk nordre kirkegaard i Møllegade
1693-1953 (1956)
-- idem: De jødiske kirkegaard i danske provinsbyer 1722-1956 (1957)
HOLOCAUST PERIOD:
-- L. Yahil: The Rescue of Danish Jewry (1969)
-- idem, in: WLB (Oct. 1962), 73 (bibliography)
-- Wilhelm, in: YLBI, 3 (1958), 313-32
-- Yad Vashem Studies, 6 (1967), 181-220
-- B. Outze (ed.): Denmark during the German Occupation (1946)
-- Valentin, in: YIVO Bleter, 8 (1953), 224-51
-- J. Haestrup: From Occupied to Ally: Denmark's Fight for Freedom
(1963)
-- Exposé, European Resistance Movement 1939-1945 (1960-64)
-- A. Bertelsen: October '43 (Eng. 1956)
-- Tid landets beste, 1 (1966)
-- W. Lord: A Night to Remember (1967), novel
-- E. Arnold: A Night of Watching (1967), novel
-- R. Oppenheim: The Door of Death (1948), novel
-- H. Flender: Rescue in Denmark (1963)
CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
-- A. Tartakower: Shivtei Yisrael, 2 (1966), 254-8
-- M. Melchior: A Rabbi Remembers (1968)> (col. 1542)
