Language:
Danish
Year of publication:
2010
Titel der Quelle:
Rambam; tidsskrift for jødisk kultur og forskning
Angaben zur Quelle:
19 (2010) 68-85
Keywords:
Christian X, (King of Denmark)
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Abstract:
Argues that the story of Danish King Christian X wearing the star of David in solidarity with the persecuted Jews during the German occupation is a myth. It was promoted by Danes in exile, especially in the U.S., who sought to improve Denmark's image in the eyes of the Allies. The Allies blamed the Danes for not resisting the Germans more firmly in 1940. The myth originated in Sweden and Denmark, and had circulated widely on both sides of the Atlantic by October 1943. It is believed to be based on a conversation in September 1941 between Christian X and Finance Minister Wilhelm Buhl, who participated in the goverment which expelled 21 stateless Jews in 1940-41 because it believed the 1,500 Jewish refugees residing in Denmark constituted an economic problem. Other stories about Christian X and the Jews were also fabricated by Danish organizations in the U.S. and Britain in 1941-43 for the purpose of boosting the king as a symbol of Danish resistance, not in order to improve the situation of the Jews. Concludes that present-day Danish historiography is still a "prisoner" of Danish image manipulation. Particularly, Danish historian and goverment official Bo Lindegaard and his followers praise the positive aspects of the Danish collaboration policy and overlook the fact that Jewish refugees were expelled to Nazi Germany between 1940-43, when collaboration was at its peak.
Note:
With an English summary.
URL:
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