Rescue and Cultural Context During the Holocaust: Grundtvigian Nationalism and the Rescue of the Danish Jews

The dramatic rescue of the Danish Jews from Nazi roundups in 1943 contrasts strikingly with the nation's cautious and cooperative response to most features of the German occupation. This paper argues that a full explanation of the rescue must therefore focus not only on Danish humanitarianism or resistance, but also on the specific symbolic significance of Jews in the country during the Second World War. Much of Danish nationalism during the occupation was heavily influenced by Grundtvigianism, a Danish theological movement which stressed the importance of folk culture and spirit. This system implied strong parallels between Jews and the Danes under occupation, which made the Jews an appropriate symbolic proxy for Danish independence. The paper argues that rescue activities, in Denmark and elsewhere, can be most clearly understood by considering not only universal values of tolerance and equality, but also the cultural meanings of Jews and rescue in specific national contexts.