In stark contrast, Jews may not have fared better in the United States had they faced the same fate. Despite American forces leading the charge for liberation anti-Semitism was prevalent in the United States. Public hositilty in America was high.

During World War II only 21,000 Jews were admitted to the United States - a paltry 10% of the number allowed under quota laws in effect at the time. Both the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars supported a total ban on immigration. Surveys indicated that between 35 and 40% of Americans would support anti-semitic legislation. In fact, in one poll conducted in 1942 the number one and two threats against America were said to be the Japanese and the Germans, and rounding out the top three, Jews.

In Denmark, however, Gentiles hid almost the entire Jewish population during the raids. The exact number is unclear, but somewhere between seven and eight thousand Jews took refuge in the homes of friends or in the wooded areas surrounding the city. On October 2, the University of Copenhagen suspended all classes "in view of the disasters which have overtaken our fellow citizens."

Danish church leaders wrote a protest letter which pastors read from all pulpits on Sunday October 3, 1943, declaring:

Wherever Jews are persecuted because of their religion or race it is the duty of the Christian Church to protest against such persecution, because it is in conflict with the sense of justice inherent in the Danish people and inseparable from our Danish Christian culture through the centuries. True to the spirit and according to the test of the Act of the Constitution all Danish citizens enjoy equal rights and responsibilities before the law and full religious freedom. We understand religious freedom as the right to exercise our worship of God as our vocation and conscience bid us and in such a matter that race and religion per se can never justify that a person be deprived of his rights, freedom or property. Our different religious views notwithstanding, we shall fight for the cause that our Jewish brothers and sisters may preserve the same freedom which we ourselves evaluation more highly than life itself.

On October 7, 1943 doctors and nurses welcomed 140 Jews into Bispebjerg Hospital and housed them in the psych ward and the nurse's residences. Because of concentrated efforts of resistance, Jews stayed hidden from the Nazi's for weeks.

HESITATION

The story of Nahum teaches that the price of hesitation is great. Nahum was blind and limbless and his body was covered with boils and sores. The fate befell him because he had met a poor man begging for food. While Nahum's three mules were laden with food, drink and other delicacies, Nahum told the poor man to wait. He would feed him after he unpacked. The poor man died waiting and Nahum cried out for such punishment to repent. This teaches that desire to help alone is insufficient. When there is an opportunity to relieve the suffering of another, we must respond quickly. TALMUDIC SOURCE: Ta'anit 21a - adapted from Saving the World Entire.

But the Jews could not stay hidden forever. The Danes succeeded in ferrying almost the entire Jewish population into nearby Sweden. They utilized fishing boats, hiding people inside while traveling routes that they hoped would not draw the attention of German ships. Miraculously, they did not.

Rabbi Melchior writes that the journey he took was not without problems. The skipper of the fishing boat upon which he traveled went off course and traveled too close to German war ships. He denies stories that told of the Rabbi "knock[ing] the skipper out with a straight right."

The Danes saw evil and faced up to it. They answered yes when asked, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

COVENANT

The Torah was given in public, openly, in a free place. Had it been given in the Land of Israel, the Israelites could have said to the nations of the world" "You have no share in it." But since it was given in the wilderness, in a free place for all, everyone wishing to accept it could come and do so.

THE MEKHILTA

I am ger tzedek, or will be on April 29, 2006. A "righteous convert." Though I am not sure that the translation suits me. I do not know enough Hebrew to say if the true words do or not.

This is what I do know. I choose to be a Jew because I believe in God. I believe that we all must each strive to meet the commandments, not just because they are commandments, but because they will make this world better. Because if I did not believe I do not know how I could bear the thought of bringing a child into this often harsh world.

I choose to be Jewish because my values draw me to it. I choose to become Jewish because through Judaism my values can only grow stronger. And through the strength of the community and of family perhaps tikkun olam can be achieved.

This is a lesson the Danes knew. This is a tradition I plan to keep.