THERESIENSTADT -- danske børn i nazistisk fangenskab, Kapitel 3 - Tilfangetagelsen

Summary

The script recounts the harrowing experiences of Danish Jews during World War II, focusing on a family's attempt to escape to Sweden amidst the Nazi occupation. Despite efforts to avoid capture, they are betrayed, leading to the arrest of the father and the terrifying capture of the narrator and her mother. They endure violence and separation, culminating in their internment at the Horseroed camp. Through the child's eyes, the story captures the fear, betrayal, and moments of human kindness amidst the horrors of the Holocaust, offering a deeply emotional and personal perspective.

Takeaways

• 🚨 The campaign against Danish Jews in October 1943 forced most of the 7,000 Jews to flee to neutral Sweden, but around 500 were arrested and detained.
• 👧 A Jewish child recalls a traumatic raid where men in black coats stormed into the house, scaring everyone, and her mother's attempt to hide her by pushing her towards non-Jewish women.
• 🏃‍♂️ While trying to escape, the family was betrayed by young Danes who led them straight to the Germans, though the mother and sister managed to escape.
• 😥 A father and daughter ended up trapped by a barbed wire fence during an escape attempt, where the father was beaten while the daughter cried.
• 👮 A mother sought help from a police station, following advice from her grandfather, but was directed to Dagmarhus, a German office.
• 💔 The family, along with others, was falsely told that they could collect their missing relatives, only to be captured when German soldiers stormed the room.
• 👧 A 14-year-old girl named Metha comforted the child with an old toy doll, which became the child’s treasured companion during the difficult times.
• 🔫 The father was almost executed by German soldiers but was taken to the Horseroed internment camp instead.
• 😭 At Horseroed, the child was terrified when Gestapo-Juhl, a Dane collaborating with the Germans, came to collect her to reunite her with her mother.
• 💔 The mother, overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing her child at Horseroed, expressed how difficult it was to endure imprisonment, especially with a child.

Q & A

What was the campaign against Danish Jews, and when did it take place?

The campaign against Danish Jews occurred in October 1943, during World War II, when the Nazis sought to arrest and deport Danish Jews.

How many Danish Jews managed to escape, and where did they flee to?

The majority of the 7,000 Danish Jews managed to flee to neutral Sweden during the Nazi campaign.

What happened to the 500 Danish Jews who did not escape?

Around 500 Jewish men, women, and children were arrested and detained at various locations in Denmark.

What was the mother’s plan for the narrator when the men stormed into the house?

The mother tried to push the narrator, who was blond as a child, closer to the non-Jewish women in an attempt to protect them. However, the narrator clung to her mother's dress and cried, which ruined the plan.

What happened when the family tried to flee towards the beach?

The family was stopped by two young Danes who pretended to help them. They split the family into two groups, but the young man led them straight to the Germans. The father realized it was a set-up and told the mother and sister to run, which they did.

What did the grandfather advise the mother to do when the father didn’t return home?

The grandfather advised the mother to go to the police station to inquire about the father's whereabouts.

What occurred when the family visited Dagmarhus to search for the missing father?

At Dagmarhus, the mother was told she could wait for her husband. However, the room was filled with people who had received the same message, suggesting a trap to gather Jews.

How did the German soldiers make their entrance at Dagmarhus, and what impression did it leave?

The German soldiers stormed in, and the narrator recalled hearing the metallic sound of their rifles' safety catches being released—a sound that was unforgettable.

Who was Gestapo-Juhl, and why did he terrify the narrator?

Gestapo-Juhl was a Danish collaborator with the Germans. He terrified the narrator because he was working for the Gestapo, but he tried to calm the narrator by mentioning another child in the car.

How did the mother react when she saw the narrator at the Horseroed camp?

The mother screamed upon seeing the narrator at the Horseroed camp, overwhelmed by emotion. She later expressed that managing the situation alone would have been difficult, but with a child, it was even harder.

Outlines

00:00

🏃‍♂️ The Capture and Escape of Danish Jews

In October 1943, as the campaign against Danish Jews began, the majority of the 7,000 Danish Jews fled to neutral Sweden, but around 500 were arrested and detained in Denmark. A family's attempt to escape is described, where the mother tried to pass her blond child off as non-Jewish, but the child's reaction to the Nazi officers' aggression thwarted the plan. The family was split into two groups to avoid attention, but they were betrayed and captured by the Germans. The father managed to escape with his child after a struggle, but they were eventually recaptured. The mother, upon seeking help from the police, was directed to Dagmarhus, a German civil office, where she discovered many others awaiting news of their missing family members. The narrative ends with the family's recapture by German soldiers.

05:03

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Internment and Emotional Turmoil

The narrative continues with the family's experiences at the Horseroed internment camp in North Zealand, where hundreds of Danish Jews were imprisoned before deportation. The child narrator describes the terrifying encounter with Gestapo-Juhl, a Danish collaborator, and the emotional reunion with her mother at the camp. The mother's despair at the situation is palpable, as she questions how she could have managed the ordeal alone, let alone with a child. The story also captures a poignant moment where a German guard is moved to tears by the mother's plight, highlighting the complex emotions and relationships within the camp.

Keywords

💡Danish Jews

Danish Jews refers to the Jewish population residing in Denmark. In the context of the video, they were targeted during World War II, particularly in October 1943, when the Nazis initiated a campaign to arrest them. The majority managed to escape to neutral Sweden, but around 500 were detained. The script highlights the plight of these individuals, emphasizing the theme of survival and resistance.

💡Neutral Sweden

Neutral Sweden indicates that during World War II, Sweden maintained a position of non-alignment and did not participate in the conflict. The video script describes how many Danish Jews fled to Sweden for safety, highlighting Sweden's role as a refuge for those escaping Nazi persecution.

💡Arrested

To be arrested refers to being taken into custody by authorities, typically law enforcement or military forces. In the video, around 500 Jewish men, women, and children are arrested by the Nazis, illustrating the harsh reality and immediate danger faced by the Danish Jews.

💡Internment Camp

An internment camp is a place where people are detained, typically during wartime, often without trial. The script mentions Horseroed camp in North Zealand, where Danish Jews were imprisoned before potential deportation, underscoring the severe conditions and treatment of the detainees.

💡Gestapo

The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany, known for their role in the persecution of various groups, including Jews. The video script refers to Gestapo-Juhl, a Danish collaborator with the Nazis, indicating the extent of collaboration and the internal betrayal faced by the Danish Jews.

💡Deportation

Deportation refers to the forced removal of people from one country to another, often under harsh and inhumane conditions. The script alludes to the deportation of Danish Jews, which was a part of the Nazi's Final Solution and a central aspect of their persecution.

💡Resistance

Resistance in the context of the video refers to the actions taken by individuals or groups to oppose or fight against oppressive forces. The script describes instances of resistance, such as the Danish people helping Jews escape and the efforts of the protagonist's father to evade capture.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration in this context means working with the enemy, often at the expense of one's own people. The script mentions a Danish man who informed the Germans about the protagonist's mother and sister, highlighting the complex dynamics and betrayals that occurred during the occupation.

💡Escape

Escape in the video script refers to the act of fleeing from confinement or danger. The protagonist's family attempts to escape to Sweden, and the narrative includes several instances of escape, emphasizing the desire for freedom and the risks involved.

💡Dagmarhus

Dagmarhus, mentioned in the script, was one of the German's civil offices during the occupation of Denmark. It is significant as a location where the protagonist's mother sought information about her missing husband, illustrating the desperation and uncertainty faced by families during this period.

💡Survival

Survival in the video's narrative is a central theme, representing the struggle to stay alive amidst persecution and war. The experiences of the protagonist's family, including hiding, fleeing, and enduring capture, all reflect the harsh realities of survival during the Nazi occupation.

Highlights

The majority of the 7,000 Danish Jews manage to flee to Sweden, which is neutral during the war, in October 1943.

Around 500 Jewish men, women, and children are arrested and detained at various locations in Denmark.

The narrator describes a moment when the door was opened with a crash, and several men in long black coats stormed in, shouting and ordering people about.

The narrator's mother tried to push her towards non-Jewish women to hide her, but her cries foiled her mother's plan.

As they walked towards the beach to escape, two young Danes offered to help but ended up leading them straight to the Germans.

The narrator’s father shouted that it was a setup, and her mother and sister managed to escape from the Danish men.

The narrator’s father threw her over a barbed-wire fence while trying to escape, injuring himself in the process.

Despite hiding in a sand dune, the Germans found them, and they beat up the narrator’s father with their rifle butts.

The next day, the narrator and her mother went to Dagmarhus, where they mistakenly believed they could find their missing father.

At Dagmarhus, the room was filled with people who had received the same false message about missing family members.

German soldiers stormed in, and the narrator describes hearing the metallic sound of soldiers releasing the safety catches on their rifles.

A German officer questioned the narrator’s mother, while the narrator stayed with a family who lived upstairs.

The narrator was given a doll by a girl named Metha, which became her companion during the difficult times.

The family was eventually taken to the Horseroed camp in North Zealand, where hundreds of Danish Jews were imprisoned before deportation.

The narrator’s mother reunited with her at Horseroed, where she expressed the difficulty of enduring these hardships with a child.

Transcripts

The Capture

When the campaign against Danish Jews is launched in October 1943 -

- the majority of the 7,000 Danish Jews manage to flee to Sweden -

- which is neutral in the war.

But around 500 Jewish men, women and children are arrested -

- and detained on various locations in Denmark.

The women were drinking coffee, talking about how to get to Sweden -

- and I was just waiting for my father and brother to come home -

- and then everything would be just fine.

But then all of a sudden, the door was opened with a crash -

- and a number of men stormed in shouting and yelling.

They wore these long black coats and were ordering people about -

- asking who belonged to whom, names, birthdates etc. -

- and the women visiting my aunt were not Jewish -

- and as I was blond as a child -

- my mother tried to push me closer to them to get me out -

- but they'd scared me so much that I pulled at my mother's dress and cried:

''Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!'' which unfortunately ruined her plans.

Then the day came when they said we were leaving.

We walked towards the beach but were stopped by two young Danes -

- who said: ''We'll help you,'' because they saw us carrying suitcases.

And they said we should split into two groups -

- so as not to draw attention to ourselves.

So, my sister and mother went one way, and my father and I another.

We were then led straight to the Germans.

All the way down to where the Germans had their headquarters.

And the young man had probably told them about my mother and sister -

- so my father shouted that it was a set-up, and that they should run.

And they did get away from that Danish man.

One night my dad didn't come home. My mother didn't know where he was.

And in my family you always asked the oldest person, my grandfather:

''What shall I do?'' He told her to go to the police station.

So, she went to the police station -

- and she said: ''My husband hasn't been home for days -

- and I don't know where he is.''

He then said: ''If I were you, I'd go to Dagmarhus at Town Hall Square -

- and ask about him there.''

Dagmarhus was one of the Germans' civil offices.

They had to search for my mother, and my father took a chance -

- and knocked down the one remaining German.

My father threw me on his back and rushed off but in the wrong direction -

- as we wound up at a fence with barbed wire on top.

But he threw me over the fence -

- and then crawled over it himself. It tore his skin.

We ran towards the beach and hid out in a sand dune -

- but they soon found us.

And when they did, they beat up my father -

- with their rifle butts, and I cried and screamed.

My mother and I went to Dagmarhus the next day.

My mother introduced herself and told the officer why she was there.

He said: ''Your husband hasn't arrived yet. You may wait in here.''

She then opened the door to the room and turned all pale.

She grabbed me by the arm and said: ''I've made a terrible mistake.

Be quiet. Don't speak.'' And then she pulled me into the room.

The room was full of people we knew -

- and we learned that everyone there had received the same message:

That they could pick up their missing family member the following day -

- so we just sat there waiting.

I believed them when they said my father would be there shortly.

At one point we heard boots on the stairs, the door was kicked in -

- and in came German soldiers.

We had heard them release the safety catches on the stairs.

It was this strange metallic sound.

I'll never ever forget that strange metallic sound.

My mother, my aunt and Aunt Esther were brought in for questioning.

I was left with the family who lived upstairs, the Jensens.

I cried, and I was very, very upset -

- and then Metha, who was 14, said:

''I have my old toys up in the attic. Let's take a look. There's a doll, too.''

She showed me this very special doll. She then gave it to me.

I immediately named her Metha the Doll, and she was mine.

And ... she was to be my companion.

We arrived at Dagmarhus, and I was planted next to a German soldier.

And my father was told to stand ...

To face the wall. There he stood -

- and the only thing he could hear was the soldiers cocking their rifles.

My father thought he'd be shot, and he worried about me.

When that was over, we were taken to the Horseroed camp in North Zealand.

Poul's father in the Horseroed internment camp

During the occupation, Horseroed functions as an internment camp.

At one point, the Nazis keep hundreds of Danish Jews imprisoned here -

- before deporting them.

One day the doorbell rang, and a man was at the door.

When I saw him, I screamed.

It was Gestapo-Juhl, as he's referred to nowadays.

A Dane who played into the hands of the Germans.

''Don't be afraid,'' he said. ''There's a little girl your age in the car -

- and she's also going to see her mother, so don't cry.''

I found him terrifying.

He then said: ''This is where your mothers are.'' It was Horseroed.

My mother suddenly appeared in the door to the barracks -

- and she screamed when she saw me.

At one point she said, ''I could have done this alone, but with a child?''

I saw tears streaming down the face of the German guard watching the gate.