A Conspiracy Of Decency: The Rescue Of The Danish Jews During World War II [Paperback]

Emmy E. Werner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2004

The people of Denmark managed to save almost their country’s entire Jewish population from extinction in a spontaneous act of humanity – one of the most compelling stories of moral courage in the history of World War II. Drawing on many personal accounts, Emmy Werner tells the story of the rescue of the Danish Jews from the vantage-point of living eyewitnesses- the last survivors of an extraordinary conspiracy of decency that triumphed in the midst of the horrors of the Holocaust. A Conspiracy of Decency chronicles the acts of people of good will from several nationalities. Among them were the German Georg F. Duckwitz, who warned the Jews of their impending deportation, the Danes who hid them and ferried them across the Oresund, and the Swedes who gave them asylum. Regardless of their social class, education, and religious and political persuasion, the rescuers all shared one important characteristic: they defined their humanity by their ability to act with great compassion. These people never considered themselves heroes – they simply felt that they were doing the right thing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although it doesn't bring previously undisclosed events to light, this history of the Holocaust in Denmark offers a wealth of first-person material, placed within a factually accurate, well-crafted text. The Danes gave a famously cold shoulder to the Germans when they invaded in 1940, and secretly evacuated 7,000 Danish Jews to Sweden when the Germans ordered them deported in 1943. Werner (Reluctant Witnesses), a developmental psychologist and research professor at University of California, Davis, uses accessible concepts (such as people of "good will") to convey what happened, and gives careful accounts of the roles of the Danish Lutheran church, the universities and the large Copenhagen hospital Bispejberg in speaking out against deportation, and mobilizing when it was imminent. Werner devotes a chapter to the refugees' actual passage northward, and a chapter to their reception in Sweden, where some found employment. More than 450 Jews were captured by the Germans and sent to Theresienstadt (the so-called "show place" concentration camp in Czechoslovakia); they were exempted from extermination as a result of tireless Danish lobbying. Werner includes their experiences, as well as those of Jews hidden in Denmark, and of members of the Danish resistance. She concludes by surveying various studies of rescuers and bystanders during the Holocaust, attempting to distill motivations for action or inaction.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

When the German army invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940, the Danes quickly surrendered. King Christian remained on the throne, however, and most aspects of prewar civilian life remained intact for nearly three-and-one-half years of the subsequent occupation. Then, in late September 1943, when Denmark's 6,500 Jews were threatened with deportation, Danish resistance fighters began ferrying them to Sweden, where they were given asylum. Drawing on personal and eyewitness accounts, Werner chronicles the Danes' spontaneous outpouring of support for the Jews as well as efforts by the Swedes to provide the refugees with shelter. She also describes the plight of 461 Danish Jews sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp (and later released) and the liberation of Denmark in 1945. Elegantly written and thoroughly researched, this is an important work in the field of Holocaust studies. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (October 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813342783
• ISBN-13: 978-0813342788
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #767,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > History > Europe > Denmark

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Chance Find; A Real Treasure, April 9, 2003

By 

"bscoles" (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Conspiracy Of Decency: The Rescue Of The Danish Jews During World War II (Hardcover)

I came across this book at the local library recently. This slim volume tells the courageous but little known true story about how the Danish people saved the vast majority of it's Jewish population from the death camps. The text is complemented by a number of photos. This book is worth the effort to locate.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting Holocaust Book, April 23, 2009

By 

Laura G. Campbell (Brighton, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Conspiracy Of Decency: The Rescue Of The Danish Jews During World War II (Paperback)

I have been studying books concerning those who rescued Jews during the Nazi era for about 10 years. Obviously, this can be a depressing enterprise. However, this book, The Conspiracy of Decency, has the distinction of being the only holocaust book I have read that made me feel absolutely wonderful when I concluded it. For Yad Vashem to honor the entire nation of Denmark for its rescue efforts is telling in itself, but this book is extremely well written and probes the motivation of the rescuers as well as their heroic actions. I highly recommend this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing account of a World War 2 episode too little known, April 18, 2010

By 

Born to Read - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Conspiracy Of Decency: The Rescue Of The Danish Jews During World War II (Paperback)

"A Conspiracy of Decency" tells the thrilling and all-too-little-known story of the rescue of virtually all of Denmark's Jews in late 1943.

In the early years of Denmark's German occupation, Danes, including Danish Jews, were treated relatively leniently by their Nazi invaders. But in 1943, when the Danish government refused to impose the death penalty on Danish resistance fighters - whose acts of sabotage against the German military machine in their country were becoming increasingly sophisticated - the government resigned and martial law was imposed by the Germans. Soon after, the Danish resistance learned that Denmark's Jews were to be rounded up on the night of Rosh Shoshanna in October, 1943. After an announcement by the rabbi at a prayer service at the synagogue in Copenhagen, virtually all of Denmark's Jews disappeared overnight: with the help of their Christian friends, they had gone into hiding. The stories of how individual Jews were hidden by their neighbors and eventually made their way to freedom in neutral Sweden makes for reading that is both exciting and poignant.

"A Conspiracy of Decency" is a well-researched and highly readable book about an episode in history that deserves far more visibility. For an exciting account of Danish resistance actions and the rescue of Danish Jews in a fictional setting, I also highly recommend the gripping page-turner, The Devil's Alchemists by A.R. Homer.