A Light in the Northern Sea: Denmarks Incredible Rescue of Their Jewish Citizens During WWII

ISBN: 0806543426

Author: Brady, Tim

Condition: New

From the bestselling author of Three Ordinary Girls, the gripping, remarkably little-known true story of how the people of Denmark banded together during WWII to rescue nearly all of their Jewish citizens from Nazi persecution by ferrying them just a few at a time to sanctuary in Sweden.August 25, 1943. A lone bicyclist transports a cache of explosives, hidden in a beer crate, to a Copenhagen hall being readied to house German troops. In a violent blast, the would-be barracks is reduced to rubble. Its the boldest act yet of Holger Danske and the growing Danish resistance combating the oppressiveness of Hitlers Reich.In 1940, on its way to conquering Western Europe, Germany coerced the Danish government into a cooperative agreement that lasted three long years until the increasing brazenness of the Resistance movement prompted a crackdown. Denmarks nearly 8000 Jews, who had so far been spared Hitlers wrath, now became the focus of his rage. A roundup was ordered to begin on October 1st, 1943, the first day of the Jewish New Year.The only passage to safety was across the Oresund to Sweden. But no group existed to organize an escape. Until the last moment, Sweden didnt agree to allow the refugees into the country; and the strait between the two nations was swarming with Gestapo.What happened next was a miracle.95% of Denmarks Jews survived the Holocaust, the highest percentage in Europe. Here are the riveting true accounts of ordinary Danes who, using their modest resources, wiles, remarkable courage, and camaraderie, quietly orchestrated their escape.Among them were Jorgen Kieler and his siblings, student activists galvanized by their sense that their government hadnt done enough to prevent the German takeover. . . . Henny Sinding, the legendary Girl in the Red Hat. . . . David Sampolinsky, an Orthodox Jew who teamed with a Lutheran school teacher to escort hundreds to safety. . . . Niels Bohr, the world-famous nuclear physicist being rushed to help Oppenheimer build the bomb at Los Alamos, who paused on his way to safety to implore the King of Sweden to allow Danish refugees into his country.A work of World War II history that reads like a thriller, this inspiring chronicle examines why, unlike the rest of Western Europe, these accomplishments were so uniquely managed by the Danish people, even in the face of Nazi occupation and Hitlers growing fixation on the Final Solution.