Ms. Robert Sandler's Jewish History classes toured the Courage to Act: Danish Rescue exhibit. The exhibition tells the remarkable story of the rescue of the Danish Jews during the Holocaust. Together, Jewish and non-Jewish neighbors of all ages mobilized to create one of the most effective—and exceptional—examples of mass resistance and escape in modern history. Despite the enormous risk, ordinary citizens united against Nazism to save nearly 95% of Denmark’s Jewish population.
Using state-of-the-art technology and creative storytelling, the exhibit immersed the students in this inspiring story. Also featured in the exhibition is the story of the Gerda III, one of many small vessels used in the Danish Rescue. The Gerda III alone saved an estimated 300 Jews in groups of 10 – 15 at a time on clandestine journeys across the Øresund Sound to Sweden.
Afterwards students watched Amid the Falling Walls, an Off-Broadway Yiddish production that delves into the songs created and performed in ghettos, cabarets, partisan encampments, concentration camps, and clandestine theaters. The musical weaves in first-hand testimony of Holocaust survivors through their poetry and music, preserving their authentic voices. Despite the tragic loss of many of the young creators, their songs come alive in this theatrical production.
