On October 1, 1943, the Germans came for Denmark’s Jews.
Almost no one was home. Warned by their Christian neighbors of the Nazi plan to deport them to concentration camps, they’d found shelter with friends, in churches, hospitals and schools. Then ordinary Danes risked their lives to smuggle almost 8,000 Jews north to fishing villages, where they were hidden on trawlers that took them across the Øresund Strait to neutral Sweden. And when they returned after liberation, the Danish Jews found their homes intact, having been safeguarded from theft or looting by their fellow citizens.
More than 90 percent of Danish Jewry survived World War II, and the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center is honored to share the extraordinary story of the bravery and kindness of the Danish people during our darkest hour in collaboration with Thanks To Scandinavia.
After a screening of scenes from the film, Passage to Sweden, we will be joined for a conversation with:
- Suzannah Warlick, Director of Passage to Sweden
- Leo Goldberger, Son of a cantor, Leo and his family were among 8000 Danish Jews rescued by their neighbors. He is professor emeritus of psychology at NYU.
- Chana Sharfstein, Daughter of the chief rabbi of Stockholm during WWII, she is an author, educator, lecturer and tour guide from Sweden.
- Howard Veisz, Caretaker of Gerda III, the boat that ferried Danish Jews to safety, Howard chronicled its missions in Henny and Her Boat.
Moderated by Kelly Ramot, Executive Director, Thanks To Scandinavia
A link to the full film will be sent to all registrants in advance.
In partnership with Thanks To Scandinavia organization.
More about the speakers:
Leo Goldberger was raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, where his father was one of the Chief-Cantors in the Great Synagogue. He and his immediate family were among the 7000 Jews rescued to Sweden in the intended German round-up in 1943. The loss of most of their immediate family elsewhere in Europe made them decide to immigrate to Canada in 1947, where he attended McGill University and NYU and subsequently became a clinical psychologist and analyst—now an emeritus professor there. Among his publications is the “Rescue of the Danish Jews: Moral Courage Under Stress” (NYU Press, 1987). Among his consultant-ships and numerous talks on the history of the Danish Rescue, he served on the early board of Thanks to Scandinavia with its founders, Victor Borge and Richard Netter.
Chana Sharfstein is a noted author, educator, lecturer, and tour guide. Daughter of the legendary Rabbi J.I. Zuber, she was raised and educated in Stockholm, Sweden. A retired member of the Board of Education of New York City, Chana is presently a docent at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish History. For 25 years she served as president of Scandinavia Trio Tours conducting kosher tours to Scandinavia.
In 2009 Howard Veisz left a thirty-five-year litigation career and went to sea. After a two-year sailing voyage, Howard and his wife settled in their boat on Connecticut’s Mystic River, and Howard began work as a volunteer in the rigging department of the Mystic Seaport Museum’s preservation shipyard. Howard was drawn to Gerda III, a thirty-nine foot wooden boat that played a leading role in the October 1943 evacuation of Denmark’s Jews. While commencing years of work on Gerda III itself, Howard embarked on an effort to more thoroughly reconstruct the history of the boat and the people who put it to such good use. His book on the subject, Henny and Her Boat, has received glowing reviews and is available on Amazon, at the Mystic Seaport Bookstore and at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Howard continues to play a lead role in maintaining Gerda III, and is often invited to speak about the Danish rescue and its lessons for today’s world.
Suzannah Warlick is the owner of Bubble Soup Productions. She films, edits, and produces on a freelance basis. Her previous documentaries include The Queen's Court, Supporting Actors, and Match & Marry. Suzannah's love of documentaries and independent films led her to create and develop the CBS Film Series in Santa Clarita, CA, whereby she curates, promotes, and screens independent films for the community.
Kelly Ramot is the Executive Director of Thanks To Scandinavia, an organization that provides scholarships to students from Scandinavia and Bulgaria to study in the United States and Israel in appreciation for the heroism showed by the people of those countries in protecting their Jewish citizens during the Holocaust. Kelly received an MSc in Nonprofit Management from The New School and a BA from Colby College. A native Texan, Kelly has traveled extensively around the world but calls the Upper West Side of Manhattan home.