Leif Donde was born to a Jewish family in 1937 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Three years later in April 1940, Nazi Germany occupied Denmark. For more than three years, the Danish government (which maintained significant autonomy) was able to protect Danish Jews. However, that changed after the Danish government resigned on August 29, 1943 and the Germans imposed martial law. Roundups of Jews started on October 1, and Leif’s parents decided to flee. The family was smuggled by fishing boat to safety in Sweden, where Leif attended school and his parents worked in a garment factory. They survived the war and later returned to Denmark.
In this clip, Leif recounts the night his family packed up and started their journey out of Denmark and towards Sweden. Leif, who was six at the time, describes feeling both afraid and excited.
We were told that, uh, that we couldn't bring any luggage whatsoever. That we should put on as many warm clothes as we possibly could, and we went over and stayed overnight with, uh, some friends of my parents, some Christian friends of our, uh, of my parents, and we were told that we would just be staying for one night, which also happened. Uh, and the following morning, we went, the whole family, to the railroad station, and took a train down to the southern part of Denmark. Uh, I remember that, again this happened time and again during the escape to Sweden, that we were told "try not to be conspicuous." That's very, very important.
[Interviewer]: "How did you feel?"
[Leif]: And, well, I would say that I understood that this was serious, but I did also feel that to some extent this was an adventure. I don't think you can expect much else from from a six-year-old kid. Uh, there was definitely an element of adventure involved.
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