Language:
English
Year of publication:
1998
Titel der Quelle:
Ethnology; an International Journal of Cultural and Social Anthropology
Angaben zur Quelle:
37,3 (1998) 209-226
Keywords:
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Influence
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Rescue
Abstract:
Argues that the traditional account of the rescue of the Danish Jews oversimplifies the motivations involved and presents only a partial story. Rescue accounts tend to see Danes, Jews, and Germans as homogeneous groups, and to minimize divisions within each group which sometimes affected the course of the rescue. Many Danes, including the police, initially viewed resistance with ambivalence, and some Danes were hostile toward Jews. Notes that Denmark agreed to protectorate status for the first three years of the war, and supplied Germany with important provisions. After the war, ca. 15,000 Danes were arrested for collaboration. Danes were concerned about their image; therefore, the group uniformity of the rescue story reassured them. Motivation for the rescue is generally attributed to Danish ethical responsibility. This view is also beneficial for the Jews. Although Jews were sometimes subject to prejudice and maintained a low profile before the war, they became emblems of Danish tolerance after the rescue and felt they could be "publicly happy about being Jewish." The benefits of the traditional story explain its popularity.
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