H eadlines
• The freetown Christiania in
the district of Christianshavn
• The Botanical Garden
• The Round Tower, the 17th
century tower and observa-
tory Rundetaarn
• A combined narrated hop-
on-hop-off bus tour and
canal boat tour of the city
If You Have Several Days:
• Visit the Viking Ship
Museum in Roskilde. It is
Denmark’s national museum
for ships, seafaring and boat-
building in the prehistoric
and medieval period.

• Take a train across the Oresund
Bridge to Malmö, Sweden.

• Visit Kronberg Castle in
Elsinore, made famous by
Shakespeare in Hamlet, a
40-minute train ride from
Copenhagen. • See the Louisiana Museum of
Modern Art, 25 miles north.

Ginny O’s Tips For Dressing
The Simply Smart Travel Way
For Denmark:
Copenhagen is fairly casual,
especially since so many Danes
cycle to work. Bright colors
are not fashionable. Since the
weather is unpredictable, carry
an umbrella or wrap.

Jewish Denmark
DANISH JEWS ARE a tiny minority of the nation’s 5.5
million people but have played a significant role in the
country’s history.

The officially recognized religious community of Jews num-
bers about 1,800, but most estimates put the total number of
Jews at about 8,000. Most of them live in or near Copenhagen
and are integrated into Danish society.

The first resident Jews came to Scandinavia in 1622 when
Denmark’s King Christian V invited Sephardic Jews in
Amsterdam and Hamburg to settle there in a developing area.

They continued to come, be tolerated and developed a flour-
ishing community. By the late 19th century, they were given
full civic equality.

There was some anti-Semitism in the early 19th century
but, by and large, they did well in Denmark through the 19th
and early 20th centuries, with Jews integrated into all aspects
of Danish life including such luminaries as Edward Brandes,
the nation’s finance minister, and Niels Bohr, the physicist.

The rise of Nazism saw an influx of about 4,500 Jews in
Denmark escaping Nazi occupation in Eastern Europe. In
1940, Denmark was occupied by the Germans, putting an end
to Jewish immigration.

As part of the Danish resistance against the Nazis, King
Christian X supported Danish Jews despite the occupation
and they were largely unmolested by Danes. In 1943, the Nazis
took over the government and planned to export the country’s
Jews. The underground resistance responded by protecting
Jews and smuggling about 7,500 out of the country to Sweden
and elsewhere. Only about 400 Danish Jews were ultimately
captured by the Nazis.

After the war, Jewish life in Denmark returned to nor-
mal. There have been some anti-Semitic acts, but most are
attributed to Muslim immigrants rather than native Danes.

The official Danish Jewish community is run by a council of
elected delegates. They run the Jewish House in Copenhagen,
which serves as a Jewish Community Center. Many Jewish
organizations have Danish chapters and educational and senior
services are provided within the community. Kosher food is
available, and there are two Jewish cemeteries in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen has several synagogues. The Great Synagogue
is home to the chief rabbi of Denmark. There is also a Reform
and an unaffiliated congregation and a Progressive Jewish con-
gregation in the Öresund region adjacent to Copenhagen and a
Chabad congregation in Frederiksberg.

A tour of Jewish life in Copenhagen is available, which
includes historical highlights, architecture and the Jewish
Museum. See visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/jewish-
copenhagen-gdk410212. l
NAME: PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL; WIDTH: 7.375 IN; DEPTH: 5.5 IN; COLOR: BLACK; AD
NUMBER: 00082994
This Destination at a Glance:
Over 50 Advantage: Superb
museums, castles and parks,
excellent shopping and dining
Mobility Level: Low to
moderate. The city is flat and
mostly accessible.

When to Go: Because
Copenhagen is in northern
Europe, winter days are short
and summer days are long. The
best time to visit is from March
to September.

Where to Stay: You will
find a wide variety of lodg-
ing across the price spectrum.

Staying near the Central Train
Station is convenient.

Special Travel Interests:
Danish history, Danish mod-
ern design, urban cycling. l
Jeffrey and Virginia Orenstein are
travel writers from Sarasota, Fla.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM JEWISH EXPONENT
JANUARY 24, 2019
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