„Antisemitism" in Denmark

from Dronte No. 8

The historian Søren Mørch has written several interesting books, amongst other things shedding light on the role of the Jews in the two areas, which have most recently (by Sofie Lene Bak, Ph.D. and Georg Metz, jewish author and journalist) been pointed out as the background for the development of "Anti-Semitism in Denmark": The influence of the Brandes-brothers and the crash of the Landmandsbank (forerunner of to-days largest Danish bank "Danske Bank") .

Hørup is brilliant for bringing about understanding of the first area and Den danske Bank (detailed history of "Danske Bank") has given many details from the other area. In Den danske Bank Mørch has re-used much from an earlier book of his, Det store Bankkrak. Landmandsbankens sammenbrud 1922-23. ("The Great Bank Crash. The Breakdown of the Landmandsbank 1922-23")

In a book review written by J. Boisen Schmidt in the Weekendavisen 18^th Dec. 1986, on the occasion of the appearance of the book Det store Bankkrak. Landmandsbankens sammenbrud 1922-23, it says, among other things:

"It is probably rare that even before its appearance a historic dissertation leads to a sharp debate on TV between the author and a representative of the institution, which the book is about, but that happened with the work of Søren Mørch on the Landmandsbank. Not because of the contents of the book, but because the author asserts that the Landmandsbank – now Den Danske Bank ("The Danish Bank", and today "Danske Bank" –"Danish Bank") – has earlier put barriers in the way of his research on the subject and that it had even offered to buy the manuscript at a high price, which might be converted into a trip to Japan for him and his wife – interestingly enough a later very famous social democratic politician! (Ritt Bjerregaard,) Those are pretty claims, but as the director of the bank, Tage Andersen, quite correctly pointed out, totally undocumented, and not verifiable to-day as the involved persons have meanwhile passed away. There was no clarification of this strange interlude.

.......after reading the book it is not very obvious why the bank should have much interest in preventing its appearance so long after the great breakdown and even with such drastic means as Søren Mørch describes, and in addition to that, there are some vague hints on the part of the author concerning "fear of honour, life and health", which he has bravely stood up against.

Aside from other sources, Søren Mørch has at his disposal the great report of the bank commission, and also a quite unique source, the private diary and scrap-book of bank inspector Holmer Green, where he had put down his thoughts almost hour by hour, his considerations and experiences.....

.....a..... remark in the epilogue of the book, saying that it can be of no interest to the reader, from where Mørch has his material. What in the world is that supposed to mean? Does Søren Mørch not want to have his work verified and it is for this reason, that his book does not have references to the sources of his information?

One of the sources is certainly Lorenz Crhistensens Det tredje Ting (The third Court) a giant work in two volumes (by Sofie Lene Bak, Ph.D. considered the main anti-Semitic work in Denmark), which to-day can probably only be found in The Danish Royal Library. I bring two important sections from this work, which give a detailed explanation of why it was not possible, that the fact alone, that executive director Emil Glückstadt was a Jew, could not have lead to the widespread "anti-Semitism".

One dangerous critic of the Jews was economics professor L.V. Birck. He was one of the members of the bank commission, that was to investigate the crash. He was in opposition to the two other members of the commission, who wanted to withhold information from the public. That was why the Secret report of the bank commission (published in this Dodo) came out, illegally, with Bircks comments on among other things the key persons around the bank having also conducted their own foreign policy. It is a small pamphlet, which I believe is quite unknown even to people who have studied the matter thoroughly. Bircks opinion of the Finance Jewry (published in this Dodo), was just as exact and profetic as TheProtocols of the Elders of Zion (published in an earlier Dodo). That a person voicing his critical opinion of the disproportionate power of Jewry in the finance world was at all able to become a member of such an important investigating commission, shows more clearly than many other things the difference between then and to-day. Such a person would to-day be purged, his livelihood taken away from him and his possible works discredited or more likely – forgotten. That is also what has since then happened to the works of Birck.

As already mentioned the works of Søren Mørch are also interesting for the purpose of understanding the background of "Radikale Venstre" (Jewish dominated Dansih party, its mouthpiece was since its creation the Jewish created and led Danish daily Politiken) and the Brandes brothers. Especially the book Hørup er med.

However, a more important person in this context must be Harald Nielsen . The best description of him is the biography The man who survived his fate by Nina Bjørneboe. With the permission of the author I have therefore rendered several chapters describing his view of Jews generally and Brandes in particular, and I have (in this Dodo) rendered several small works of his on the same subject, The Jew, the Philistine and the Holsteiner, Mordokai and Haman, The Usurper and Spiritual Freedom and Purge (Jøden, Filisteren og Holsteneren – Mordokai og Haman – Usurpatoren – Åndsfrihed – og Udrensning. In earlier Dodo’s I have shown other works by Harald Nielsen on the Jewish question.

Several other well known Danes have dealt with the Jewish question in Denmark. The most unknown and most interesting fact is probably that our internationally famous Søren Kierkegaard was an "anti-Semite". Scores of subsequent "learned Danish literates" have failed to enlighten the world on this point).I bring, in this Dodo a small excerpt from Søren Kierkegaard on Politics. Reading the book (maybe it only exists in Danish),is recommended.

The author, Peter Neerup Buhl, has dealt with forgotten Danish nationally-minded authors, amongst whom several were very critical of Jews. I quote from his books the parts that are of interest in this context. It is the scientist and author H.J.Hansen, author and poet Thorkild Gravlund and the scientist and author Gudmund Schütte.

Last but not least there are a number of books and writings which, employing varying degrees of historic detail and agitation have dealt with the Jewish question in Denmark. The authors Harald Raage and Olga Eggers should be mentioned. The writings are historic source-material, and without further comment I bring excerpts from those in this Dodo.

It is The Jews in Denmark (Jøderne I Danmark), The Jewish question (Jødespørgsmålet), Let the Jews speak for Themselves (Lad nu Jøderne få Ordet), The burning Thornbush (Den brændende Tornebusk) and Jewish Rules for Living (Jødiske Leveregler).