The story of Knud Dyby's participation in the Danish resistance during World War II and his efforts to assist Danish Jews in escaping to Sweden. After the war, Dyby emigrated from Denmark, ultimately settling in the San Francisco Bay area. He has been recognized by numerous Jewish organizations for his courage in assisting Jewish families during the war. Martha Loeffler, a California newspaper columnist, provides both a dramatic narrative of Dyby's experiences and an historical overview of Denmark during the German occupation. Former United States Senator from Illinois, Paul Simon has written the foreword to the book. Senator Simon was instrumental in organizing a major conference on the rescue of the Danish Jews held on the Dana College campus in 1990 at which Knud Dyby told his story. The book, which includes numerous photographs, is appropriate for a wide audience. His name is on the commemorative wall in the Avenue of the Righteous of the Nations at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
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Editorial Reviews
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Very Readable, December 6, 1999 By A Customer This review is from: Boats in the night: Knud Dyby's involvement in the rescue of the Danish Jews and the Danish Resistance. (Papeback) Reading this account of Knud Dyby's numerous acts of behalf of Danish Jews during World War II is like listening to a storyteller. Dyby's specific story is told within the framework of the general Danish resistance to Hitler's anti-Semitism. Denmark, unlike many other European countries, did not have a tradition of treating its Jewish citizens differently. Hoever, great courage was required for Dyby, Georg Duckwitz, and countless unnamed Danes, to resist Nazi oppression of Jews. It is remarkable that they succeeded in actively arranging for the escape to Sweden of nearly two thousand Jews late in the war, primarily on small boats. The details of arranging transport on fishing boats through a web of discreet individuals are fascinating. It also reminds us how much difference one person can make. This book would be very accessible to high school students who are learning about the Holocaust. Mrs. Loeffler expalins historical references such as "Krsytallnacht", so the reader can follow the story even without having much background knowledge about events before and during World War II. --From: Boats in the Night: Knud Dyby's involvement in the rescue of the Danish Jews and the Danish Resistance. (paperback)
By an American of Danish Descent born in 1930. March 11, 2007 This is a spectacular account of the bravery and caring of the Danish Resistance during the second World War. Danmark is such a small counrty and not many people of the world know what kind of people the Danes really are and the depth of their hearts. --By Mildred H. Anderson: "Music & Ars Lover" (Clearwater, FL USA)- See all my reviews.
Valuable memories, June 7, 2008 Not world class litterature, but fascinating eye witness stories from Denmark under German occupation in WW2/ Worth reading. --By Jakob Nielsen (Brussels, Belgium) -See all my reviews --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
By an American of Danish Descent born in 1930. March 11, 2007 This is a spectacular account of the bravery and caring of the Danish Resistance during the second World War. Danmark is such a small counrty and not many people of the world know what kind of people the Danes really are and the depth of their hearts. --By Mildred H. Anderson: "Music & Ars Lover" (Clearwater, FL USA)- See all my reviews.
Valuable memories, June 7, 2008 Not world class litterature, but fascinating eye witness stories from Denmark under German occupation in WW2/ Worth reading. --By Jakob Nielsen (Brussels, Belgium) -See all my reviews --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Author
My guilt-laden knowledge of the Holocaust dates back to a conversation in Berkeley, California, in 1941. My mother said, "Look at this. The Forward (a daily, Jewish-American newspaper, printed in the Yiddish language) has these stories about something called concentration camps for Jews in Europe. It sounds terrible." In my vast superiority as an American born, university student, I replied to my immigrant mother, "Oh, Mama, if it isn't in the American newspapers, it can't be true." How wrong I was!
In 1974 one of my sons married the daughter of Rita and Isaac Haskell, survivors who endured many years of harsh treatment and deprivation in the concentration camps. The grandchildren of these survivors are my grandchildren, too, and they have grown up with an intimate knowledge of the torture and death, the cruelty and pain that we now know as the Holocaust. Preserving this knowledge has become my concern.
In 1997 I received a letter from the Holocaust Oral History Project in San Francisco seeking writers who would put into written form some of the oral case histories they had videotaped. I responded with an offer of assistance and within days received a telephone call asking if I would like to write a book about Knud Dyby, a Danish-American who has been recognized for his role in helping rescue the Jews of Denmark in World War II.
I met with Mr. Dyby at his home in Novato, California, and was immediately charmed by his modest demeanor and convinced by his firm belief that the heroic efforts of his countrymen in World War II should be recorded in book form. He particularly wanted a memoir which would appeal not only to the general reading public but also to young adults as well.
Like many others, I was aware that Denmark had made a concerted effort to save its Jewish citizens from Hitler's concentration camps, but I knew few of the details. This book is the result of my unique learning experience about that period in history.
I would like to thank the Holocaust Oral History Project for suggesting this project and Knud Dyby for his invaluable assistance and consistent good humor in the time it has taken to complete the manuscript. Although Knud expressed concern his English was not as good as he thought it should be for such a project, he certainly conveyed to me, with distinct clarity, the emotions he still feels about the events related in this book.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Readable,
By A Customer
This review is from: Boats in the night: Knud Dyby's involvement in the rescue of the Danish Jews and the Danish Resistance. (Paperback)
Reading this account of Knud Dyby's numerous acts on behalf of Danish Jews during World War II is like listening to a storyteller. Dyby's specific story is told within the framework of the general Danish resistance to Hitler's anti-Semitism. Denmark, unlike many other European countries, did not have a tradition of treating its Jewish citizens differently. However, great courage was required for Dyby, Georg Duckwitz, and countless unnamed Danes, to resist Nazi oppression of Jews. It is remarkable that they succeeded in actively arranging for the escape to Sweden of nearly two thousand Jews late in the war, primarily on small boats. The details of arranging transport on fishing boats through a web of discreet individuals are fascinating. It also reminds us how much difference one person can make. This book would be very accessible to high school students who are learning about the Holocaust. Mrs. Loeffler expains historical references such as "Krsytallnacht", so the reader can follow the story even without having much background knowledge about events before and during World War II.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
By an American of Danish Descent born in 1930.,
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This review is from: Boats In the Night: Knud Dyby's Involvement in the Rescue of the Danish Jews and the Danish Resistance (Paperback)
This is a spectacular account of the bravery and caring of the Danish Resistance during the second World War. Danmark is such a small country and not many people of the world know what kind of people the Danes really are and the depth of their hearts.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Valuable memories,
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This review is from: Boats In the Night: Knud Dyby's Involvement in the Rescue of the Danish Jews and the Danish Resistance (Paperback)
Not world class litterature, but fascinating eye witness stories from Denmark under German occupation in WW2. Worth reading.
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