Dansk Jødisk Museum

Because we should never forget the horrors of the holocaust, I was drawn to this museum from reading about the history of the Jews in Denmark on the plane to Copenhagen. The Danish Jewish Museum, a part of the Royal Library, sits off an austere somewhat hidden street, a passage. As you turn into the site, the property opens into a serene pond, a calm, reassuring peace takes over you… you see a small nest in this pond, a symbol that yes, here too, you can. There’s a beautiful ivied building (the library, HOME) and to its left, a somewhat discreet entrance to the main museum and the first words you read is Mitzvah.
defines mitzvah as, «In common usage, a mitzvah often means «a good deed” – as in «Do a mitzvah and help Mrs. Goldstein with her packages.» This usage is quite old – the Jerusalem Talmud commonly refers to any charitable act as «the mitzvah.»
It is this definition of mitzvah that swelled in my consciousness when I walked through the museum, its two collections: the artifacts and the Home (the Jewish experience after returning home from WWII). The Danes and the Swedes protected the Jews during WWII. The artifacts are classic immigrant symbols of survival, tradition and religion. The angled floors and walls remind one of how a passenger felt on the boat from Denmark to Sweden; the rocking sensation also symbolized the anxiety one felt when they arrived to their new home, a new country. The stories at HOME, were compelling.
For their mitvahs, I am in awe of the Danish and Swedish people. Through this museum, I’ve seen tolerance, protection of human beings… chillingly admirable. Today many of us seek reparation for the wrongs committed in history. Destruction of a culture of people is wrong in every sense perceivable. We hope to get there. This museum is a symbol to the world of tolerance, protection and… because we should never forget.
Visits: 1
Tip: Use your Copenhagen card here and many other museums that are free with a card. Most museums close for lunch 12 – 1 and close at 4pm, check the websites.

This review is based on the main museum and the «HOME» exhibition.
In a handsome building in a central location, the Jødisk Museum’s main section (100 kroner in August 2014) has a series of Jewish artifacts in displays that can be at awkward angles, making it difficult to see what you are looking at sometimes (apparently a celebrity architect designed the interior). I found the historical information pretty limited and people familiar with modern Jewish practices may not find much new to learn specific to Danish practice but it’s a great introduction to Jewish practices if you are unfamiliar with them.
What I found more interesting was the «HOME» exhibition (an additional 50 kroner), which tells the story of the Jewish experience in World War II. Sympathetic informers made it possible for the vast majority of Jews to escape to Sweden, which was not occupied by the Nazis, and the Danish government comes across fairly admirably in the telling of the story of the refugees return to the country after the war. If you are interested in the period this covers, I think you would find the personal stories compelling.
All exhibits have translations in English.

Das Museum ist etwas versteckt, aber traumhaft gelegen. Versteckt im Garten der Königlichen Bibliothek. Exponate über die Geschichte, Kultur und Kunst der dänischen Juden seit dem 17. Jahrhundert (Dänemark hatte den Großteil der jüdischen Flüchtlinge retten können). Das Gebäude hat ein ungewöhnliches Design. Dieses ist das Werk von dem prominenten Architekten Daniel Libeskind. Ein Erlebnis der Sinne, die Wände sind schräg und asymetrisch. Ein kleines, unvergessliches Museum im Stadtzentrum, inmitten eines wunderschön angelegten Gartens.