Bo Lidegaard

In the history of Nazi Germany's persecution of the Jews there aren't many happy stories. Usually the best we can manage is a family hidden in the attic or an individual who slipped away. But the case of Denmark, where 7,000 Danes were Jewish, stands out even if it doesn't start very promisingly.

When Germany attacked in April 1940, Denmark's leaders didn't believe the country was strong enough to resist. Instead of putting up a fight, Denmark became an occupied country that still retained some semblance of self-government - a situation most Danes found humiliating. And given Germany's record of persecution against Jews, Danish leaders did everything they thought possible to avert a roundup of their citizens. Yet when it finally came on October 1, 1943, the people themselves managed to help nearly all the Jews to escape to Sweden. Out of those 7,000, only a few hundred were captured by the Germans.

Given that I am one quarter Danish (my grandmother and her parents emigrated around 1900) I really looked forward to this history. And it's an inspiring story of how the Danish people helped their "countrymen" escape what everyone knew was a death-sentence. The risks people took were very real and dangerous, and neighbors even cared for the property of the refugees (instead of the opportunistic looting that generally happened in other places). The book focuses mostly on the Hannover and Marcus families - two sisters - as well as their father, but other sources and stories are included as well. I found it especially interesting how people knew what the Germans were doing to the Jews (not always in vague or general terms!) and yet they still found it hard to believe it would happen in Denmark, instead trusting in the "honor" of the occupation forces. And yet, if it hadn't been for some information leaks, the number who escaped might have been small.

Unfortunately, it's also a very ponderous book that can easily overwhelm an otherwise eager reader at a snail's pace. Frequently accounts of the same event are quoted at length from multiple sources, giving a more complete view of the events but also dragging on for pages with little gained. As such, it may be a scholarly work, but made it hard for me to engage as an ordinary reader. I found the book interesting while I was reading it, but it was difficult to find much enthusiasm to pick it up again in between readings. Nonetheless, this is an important story, and one I am glad to know but it's not an easy read and I was unable to finish. (Oh, and that story about King Christian and the people all wearing Jewish stars in a show of solidarity? It's just a story.)… (mehr)

Toen in september 1943 bekend werd dat de nazi's van plan waren de joodse inwoners van Denemarken te deporteren, werd direct groot alarm geslagen. Spontaan kwam een grootscheepse reddingsactie op gang. Beschermd door de Deense bevolking konden de joden zich ongezien aan de kust verzamelen, vanwaar ze met vissersboten naar het neutrale Zweden werden gebracht. Niet alleen overleefden bijna alle Deense joden de naziterreur, maar ook troffen ze bij terugkeer na de oorlog hun huizen en bezittingen precies zo aan als ze die hadden achtergelaten.

Historicus Bo Lidegaard vertelt op meesterlijke wijze de spectaculaire geschiedenis van het 'wonder van Denemarken'. Zijn boek is gebaseerd op uniek, nooit eerder gebruikt bronmateriaal: veelal persoonlijke brieven en aantekeningen van de mensen die op de vlucht waren of de vlucht mogelijk maakten. De bronnen zijn afkomstig uit alle geledingen van de samenleving, van lokale boeren en vissers tot de nazileiders in Berlijn. Landgenoten is een schitterend geschreven, onvergetelijk verhaal, dat direct de vraag oproept waarom het in Nederland zo anders is gelopen.… (mehr)