With the help of Danish-American groups, the Mount Zion Temple and Synagogue of the Hills, Bishop Zellmer and the ELCA, and the Black Hills Area Community Foundation, Senator Stanford Adelstein (R-32/Rapid City) is organizing a historical commemoration at Mount Rushmore this weekend. On Saturday, Senator Adelstein, a notable member of South Dakota's very small Jewish community, will master a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the rescue of the Danish Jews. Senator Adelstein shares his story of the rescue and explains why he's holding Saturday's ceremony at Mount Rushmore:
On September 28, 1943, the beginning of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) the Nazi occupiers of Denmark had planned a roundup of all of the Jews in the country, and their deportation to death camps. Nearly all of the Jews in the country disappeared into homes of Christian friends, acquaintances, and in many cases strangers.
Black Hills area residents will have the unique opportunity to hear this dramatic story of Christian heroism in Denmark during World War II.
A commemoration of the 70th anniversary of this rescue of Danish Jews to neutral Sweden will be held at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Amphitheater on Saturday, September 28 at 4:30pm.
Rudy Boschwitz, former US Senator from Minnesota and US Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission, Bishop David Zellmer, South Dakota Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and Professor Emeritus Leo Goldberger will be honored guests and speakers at the commemoration, as well as Anelise Sawkins of the Danish consulate. One of the conveners for this recognition is South Dakota State Senator Stanford Adelstein who will act as master of ceremonies.
Between 1943 in 1940 half of the Jewish boys then alive in the world died in Nazi concentration camps. In 1943 Ambassador Boschwitz, Professor Goldberger, and Senator Adelstein were 12 and 13 years old boys: boys who lived to be men, men who have served their country, men aware—yet unable to comprehend—that half of the Jewish boys and girls of their generation were killed.
Eighty-two year old State Senator Adelstein, whose grandmother was a single mother who homesteaded on the edge of the Badlands, said when reflecting on this commemoration, “Barely a day goes by when I don’t reflect on what have been possible in this world if the other half of children like us would have had just a tiny of the opportunities given to us. Or, simply the opportunity to live.”
At this ceremony, seated beneath our country’s founders, the rescue of a country’s Jewish men, women, and children will be celebrated.
In September 1943, after hearing of Hitler’s orders to arrest and deport all the Jews in Denmark, the Danish people immediately began warning their Jewish neighbors and friends.
Hiding places were then secured in ports and small fishing villages until it was safe to smuggle them across the water in small fishing boats to neutral Sweden.
Because of the courage, compassion and humanitarian efforts of these everyday Danish people, more than 95% of all Danish Jews were saved from Hitler’s death camps.
This is a story of real heroism that veterans, school children and people of all faiths and nationalities will find inspiring.
In a day when we only hear of those individuals who injure others, we forget that a whole nation risked their lives and businesses to save their fellow Danes, of a different faith, who they might not have known personally. The conveners are organizing this public event with the objective of sharing this often forgotten rescue story with as many people as possible. The hope is that this event will, “draw world-wide attention to the amazing things which can be accomplished when we look for our similarities, rather than our differences, and work together” [Senator Stanford Adelstein, press release, 2013.09.19].
Even stories of Jewish survival in World War II carry dark strains. Many families crossing the Øresund Strait to Sweden left their children behind with Christian Danish families for safety's sake, and even when reunited, the trauma of that separation strongly affected parents and children alike. The Danes' noble actions in 1943 came after years of immigration policies as harsh to Jewish refugees as those of other Western nations, as well as three years of collaboration with Nazi occupiers.
Nonetheless, when faced with the final solution of the archetype of evil in the 20th century, Denmark chose the difficult and decent path and saved 8,000 people from the Nazi death camps. That's historic moral courage worth remembering.
Get your dose of history Saturday, September 28, 4:30 p.m., at Mount Rushmore.
I kind of liked your use of Danish-American in the title on facebook. I'm Danish-Norwegian. The daughter that lives with me has a t-shirt that has a Danish flag and an American flag on it, then under the flags it says Danish-American, the best kind.
One of the now deceased Native Americans here was an interesting character. But, he was convinced that all Norwegians, Finns, Laps, Danes, and Swedes were the same as Germans involved with the Holocaust. That was his greeting to me at my first meeting with local Democrats here years ago. Now, I have to get ready for one of the monthly meetings tonight at 8 PM. Most of us are getting up in years and getting younger people interested is a real challenge. Thanks to the Senator for his attempt to memorialize those who helped.
I would have liked to have met your now deceased Native American interesting character friend, Mr. Wiken. Keep getting those younger people involved in your meetings and maybe invite Mr. Stan to the next one to speak on his speakings.
Grudznik, His son runs a business here. We have an old Volvo his wife drove. His grand-daughter was in my son's HS class. I had not thought about him for several years.
His son's phone number and mine are similar. Now and then he would get my number by mistake. When I asked who it was, he said, "This is your father.". I told him that was unlikely since my father had been dead for several years. It was hard to convince him that he had dialed the wrong number. He managed to get elected to some of the tribal boards or councils around here. I only heard that from second/third hand reports however.
Sorry about the diversion.
Go stop the PALESTINIAN SHOAH -
Exodus 29:25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a BURNT OFFERING, for a SWEET SAVOR before the Lord: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord......... A "burnt offering", The WAR god worshipers DO "sacrifice" Gentile Children. Exodus 29:42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations ....
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-07-05/murdered-palestinian-boy-was-burned-alive/?
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.603166
Just remember Greg, that this all goes back to 100 years ago with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie. Without that spark that started the first World War, we would not be faced with the terrorism that is promoted on all sides now in the Middle East. The eye for an eye bullshit must cease. As Israel now exists, so must Palestine with a two state solution.
This weekend? Today is Saturday? Did I miss it or is "this weekend" Sept. 28? I am a fan of Mr. Stan. I would like to see his event if I can get there.
Is this an old blogging drug back up to confuse me?
Yes, this is old stuff that has been dug back up Mr, grudznick. You can still go though, should be able to get a good seat.