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To go
to a complete listing of
tapes in the Collection, click here.
As Hitler's forces occupied country after country, the Jews of Europe were subjugated and deported to concentration camps, resulting in six million deaths. In striking contrast to the experience in other countries, the Jews of Denmark were saved by countrymen who refused to hand over their compatriots to the Nazis.
First the Danes, led by King Christian and their clergy, flaunted Hitler's orders of oppression. Then, when deportation orders came in October 1943, Danes hid both Jewish friends and mere acquaintances. When Sweden offered asylum to the Danish Jews the Danes responded by organizing risky, clandestine boat lifts to the neighboring country. Ninety-seven percent of Denmark's Jewish population of 8,000 survived the war because of the courage and compassion of their countrymen. An Act of Faith tells this story.
1961, 28 mins.
While you watch, consider . . .
•Why the Danes, unlike so many others, reached out to protect their Jewish population.
•The feelings of the Jews as they heard the fate of their fellows in other countries.
•How the rescuers of the Jews said they acted on their belief in democracy and religious freedom.
Other films of interest:
Now. . . After All These Years Interviews with townspeople of Rhina, a German village with a large Jewish population prior to World War II.
The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank Based on the book by Miep Gies, who hid the Frank family in her attic Weapons of the Spirit A documentary about the residents of a French village that sheltered thousands of Jews during World War II.