A Rabbi Remembers: The Man Who Defied the Nazis in America

Plot

Marcus Melchior (1897 – 1969) was acting chief rabbi of Denmark in 1943 at the time of the rescue of the Danish Jews.
Marcus Melchior came from a prominent Jewish family in Denmark. After a few years as rabbi in Germany, 1934 he became rabbi for the Jewish Community in Copenhagen From 1943 to 1945 he was acting rabbi for the Jewish refugees from Denmark in Sweden, and following the death of Max Friediger in 1947, became chief rabbi in Denmark. After World War II he pleaded for reconciliation with the new Germany.
Though his background was orthodox, his rhetorical skills and his culturally open attitudes made him a popular lecturer also outside Jewish circles.

According to Duckwitz, 1 October was set as the zero hour and Hans Hedtoft immediately warned C.B. Henriques, the head the Jewish Community, and Dr. Marcus Melchior, the acting chief Rabbi of the Krystalgade Synagogue.


Dr. Marcus Melchior

On September 29th, two days before the projected round up on Rosh HaShannah, the Jewish New Year, Dr. Marcus Melchior implored his stunned congregants and the whole Jewish community to go into hiding immediately:

"The situation is very serious. We must take action immediately. You must leave the synagogue now and contact all relatives, friends and neighbors you know who are Jewish and tell them what I have told you, " Marcus Melchior said. "You must also speak to your Christian friends and ask them to warn any Jews they know. You must do this immediately, within the next few minutes, so that two or three hours from now everyone will know what is happening. By nightfall we must all be in hiding."