[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.]
