Subjects:
The Holocaust
Second World War
Jewish studies
In October 1943 Hitler ordered the mass arrest of Jews in Denmark. Thousands of Danish Jews fled to Sweden, hundreds were deported to concentration camps. Based on more than one hundred interviews and new empirical material the book tells the story of what happened after October 1943: For the first time the long-term consequences of escape, exile and deportation are portrayed. The wartime experiences of the Danish Jews did not end with the German capitulation in 1945, but have continued to leave deep impressions which have persisted to the present day.The title of the book, Nothing to speak of, refers to an often repeated phrase in testimonies from Danish Jews. By the end of the war six million European Jews had been killed during the Holocaust. Most Danish Jews had survived. What they had experienced during escape, exile and in concentration camps was to them - by comparison - nothing to speak of'. Now for the first time the witnesses break their silence and speak openly about the consequences of the war. There certainly is something to speak of.
Sofie Lene Bak (born 1973) holds a PhD in History. She is curator and the project manager of the research and documentation project concerning the wartime experiences of the Danish Jews 1943- 1945 at the Danish Jewish Museum.
A nerve-racking and moving book which tells many tragic but also encouraging stories One of the outstanding contributions of the book is its illustrations, especially the many unknown and fantastic photographs from the period. - BERLINGSKE TIDENDE
This book about the rescue to Sweden of the Danish Jews in October 1943 is brilliant and balanced history writing The fear and the insecurity of the individual are expressed side by side with the historic circumstances which made the flight possible. -KRISTELIGT DAGBLAD
It is a great achievement of the book that it has moved the last generation of witnesses to speak of their experiences for the first time With this book Sofie Lene Bak succeeds in changing the Danish history of the Jews during the occupation so it also includes the significance of the exile and the long-standing repercussions of the war. - JYLLANDSPOSTEN