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Myrna Goodman's recent posting on the H-ANTISEMITISM list recalls a trip to Denmark in which her informants "were concerned that I was yet another American trolling the Danish waters looking for new information on the 'Danish miracle.'" This recalls an encounter of my own with two historians from the University of Copenhagen. It took place in Sweden a couple of years ago, at a conference on a subject unrelated to the Holocaust. I was taking a walk with them, and they asked me about my current work. I was telling them about the book I was writing on "Holocaust discourse" in the USA. Suddenly I stopped short in a moment of realization and said to them, "My God - you're DANES. Do you know how golden you are in this discourse. "Yes," they said somewhat wearily, "we know all about it." One of them said to me: "A few years ago I was visiting a fishing village from which many of the Danish Jews went by boat to Sweden. There was an enormous villa on the hilltop overlooking the village, which I was told was called 'the synagogue.' Peter - do you know why it was called 'the synagogue?'" "No, Inge," I said, "but I'm sure you're going to tell me." "It was called 'the synagogue' because it was built by a local fisherman with all the money he got from Jews for taking them to Sweden." My colleagues were not impressed with the hype which made something supernatural about what happened in Denmark. This is NOT to deny that the Danish rescue was admirable - which it clearly was. And I don't think that Steve Paulsson's very interesting article has such an intention either. But I do think Steve's "demystifying" article [JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY HISTORY 30 (1995): 431-64] should be required reading for anyone discussing the subject. Peter Novick Prof of History U of Chicago
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