A Jewish refugee survived the massacre of his compatriots and hoped that Denmark would regain its humanity.

This story is in tune with the latest one, that is 1943+00. In June, a cold autumn fog landed on the Danish coast. Goldberger's family-mother, father and four children-huddled in the bushes near the beach. They stared at the darkness, hoping to see flashing lights. On the other side is the Swedish coast.

Leo Goldberger, 13 years old, is the son of a Jewish singer. He is thinking about a series of strange events that led to this moment: the Nazi invasion of Denmark, the silent resistance movement that helped protect Danish Jews, and the rumors that a large-scale expulsion is about to take place. Goldberger recalled: "I think I can only say that I am absolutely angry." I keep thinking: what have we done?

"I have a good wish. Fight back, "he said. But those feelings were interrupted by flashing lights somewhere in the distance. Time to go,

Goldberger's father is holding his two children. Goldberger took a bag, his favorite flashlight and a clay sculpture, which he still kept in his study. "We jumped straight into the water," he said. "Shoes and everything are wet." The water flows to Goldberger's knees, then his waist, and then his chest. His wet clothes stick to his skin.

They found a small Danish fishing boat and climbed aboard one after another. There are more than a dozen Jewish refugees on board. Goldberger said, "We must be in the cabin, covered with canvas." . He felt seasick. The boat rose and fell with the waves, and the smell of fish came to my face. "That is absolutely harmful."

Late at night, the Germans boarded the ship for inspection. In the hut, under the dirty canvas, the refugees experienced a silent horror. They heard voices and footsteps. The Germans thought it was just a fishing boat, so they kept sailing.

***

Today, Leo Goldberger is 85 years old and lives in a one-way street in the Woods of western Massachusetts. Tall trees surround his house. He has lived a quiet life here since he retired as a professor of psychology at new york University.

In the evening, Goldberger watched the TV news. Last year, he began to see a familiar story Thousands of Syrian refugees have embarked on a long journey to Europe. All-weather news reports show that some families are trying to find their foothold in the places where Goldberger once lived-Sweden, Denmark, modern Czech Republic and China.

Leo Goldberger (Daniel Gross) is a refugee who almost escaped the Holocaust. Goldberger is consistent with the Syrian identity he saw on TV. Goldberger said, "My heart broke when I saw a family trying to board a wrecked ship. I cry easily. Because I'm sure.

"This is a very, very terrible feeling-running away," he continued. "It just evokes memories."

What seems unfamiliar is the subsequent story-the story that Europe is hostile to refugees in the form of right-wing and restrictive immigration laws.

Goldberger's time in Nazi-occupied Denmark actually strengthened his belief in human nature. He deeply recalled his life in Denmark because ordinary Danes saved his life.

But when Goldberger sees Europe today-the biggest refugee crisis he has experienced himself-he wants to know whether the newcomers will experience the same enthusiasm as him.

***

Goldberger's trip to Sweden in 1943 was the last intimate contact of the family in a series of painful experiences. 1940 Germany invaded Denmark. Although Jews were not immediately targeted, the German occupiers collected a list of Danish Jews. They also arrested and expelled more than a dozen Jewish leaders.

"The Germans came and tried to take my father away," Goldberger recalled. One night in Denmark, he was suddenly awakened by a loud noise. That's the sound of a German rifle hitting the door.

"Goldberger a dull stay put. The moment of silence was so tense that Leo could hardly bear it. He said: "I'm worried that they will break in angrily and shoot." "After a while, the neighbors upstairs told the Germans that the Goldberger family had gone on holiday.

It is this experience that makes it urgent to escape. Although Jews are not without allies, life seems to be more dangerous every day. Goldberger said that in order to help Jews pay for their escape, "Danes began to collect money". "They will even see the names of Jews in the phone book. They will come to your house and say,' Do you know what happened? You need to get out. "We will help you."

When Mr. and Mrs. Goldberger finally boarded the Danish fishing boat, they were just one of thousands of families, all of which were secretly helped by ordinary Danes. Within two weeks, a random fishing fleet brought more than 7000 people to the safety of neutral Sweden. The Goldberger family spent the rest of the war there.

Historians describe those weeks as "saving Danish Jews". Denmark became an exception in World War II: it was the only country occupied by the Nazis and saved almost all the Jewish population.

There are several reasons. Goldberger said that the first reason is that Danish Jews have been well integrated into society for generations. "We are Danes," said Goldberger. "We speak various languages, sing their songs and eat their food." It is no accident that one of the most famous narratives of Danish Jews written by Pollard Gard is called compatriots.

Of course, there are other less honorable descriptions of Danish behavior. The country soon surrendered when Germany invaded for the first time. Denmark retains a certain degree of autonomy, but this is only because many Danes are willing to cooperate with the Germans. There are nearly 30,000 party member in the Danish Nazi Party. German leaders praised Denmark as a model of an occupied country.

It is against this background that ordinary Danes try to destroy their German occupiers. They pay less attention to violent destruction, but more attention to quieter forms of resistance-such as helping Jews. "The Danes are very angry with the Germans," Goldberger said. "This is a simple way for them to resist."

***

When Goldberger tells his story, he uses psychological language to describe it. "I have adapted to life in the war zone," he said, referring to the bomb shelter where his family took refuge. He even provided a psychological explanation for his strong memory of his trip to Sweden. He said:

"If you think about what will happen when humans are reduced to the lowest level, you will find that things like the smell and taste of bees are magnified." . "That's animism." Goldberger said that many Danish Jews who fled to Sweden remembered the same fishy smell.

Goldberger's psychological framework comes from his post-war life. After Germany surrendered, the family returned to their apartment in Copenhagen.

Their home in Denmark is vivid and short. Goldberger recalled: "It was just month after month of jubilation. One night, he never came home. When he came back the next morning, his father was surprised to hear that he got up so early. " Get up so early for morning prayers? "he asked. Goldberger certainly didn't do anything, but it's a good cover story. "So I have to go to the synagogue! I never told him that I was not at home all night.

However, outside Denmark, the disaster cast a shadow over the activities to celebrate the end of the war. Goldberger's father came from Central Europe, and none of his brothers and sisters were spared. From 65438 to 0945, the Nuremberg trial recorded the unimaginable scale of Nazi death camps. Danes and people all over the world know that German doctors not only murder Jews, but also do experiments on Jews. A fishing boat from Denmark to Sweden stopped on a shelf. This is a photo of his father teaching students in Czechoslovakia. Almost all of them died in the Holocaust. Some newspaper clippings emphasized Goldberger's early research, and some of them have left a bad impression on his mouth now.

It is easy to see these symbols and feel depressed. But even when it comes to the ugly chapter of the past, Goldberger sounds like a wayward optimist. He said, "Once I came to this side of the sea, I tried to leave it behind. This doesn't mean that he tries to forget-it's just that he focuses on heroes rather than villains. He even edited a book called Saving Danish Jews: Moral Courage under Pressure.

Saving Danish Jews: Moral Courage under Pressure An outstanding group composed of international celebrities, Jews and non-Jews, rescuers and rescued people provided their rich first-person narratives and reflections, and discussed such a question: Why did Danes risk their lives to save Jews? "

The relationship between "buy" and "people and the country is complicated; This is what Goldberger knew from experience. In his young Denmark, Jews were Danes, and ordinary Danes helped Jews-even during Nazi rule in Denmark. In the United States, as a Jewish immigrant, Goldberger felt very popular, but as a young scientist, he was betrayed.

He still feels inextricably linked with the country where he grew up. A few months ago, Denmark began to make headlines for its response to the refugee crisis. The country was accused of trying to expel asylum seekers from other parts of Europe. Goldberger said, "I wrote to my Danish friends and said they should be ashamed of themselves." They should be ashamed of their modest contribution. In January, a new law made it more difficult for asylum seekers to bring their families to Denmark. The bill also legalized the seizure of refugee property, which weakened Nazi Germany's treatment of Jews to some extent.

Goldberger said that he could understand the property regulations, and he thought it was a way to pay for the service. But to his disappointment, according to the new regulations, family members will be isolated. During World War II, his family was a constant source of stability and security.

Like the United States, Denmark has a record of helping refugees. However, Goldberger believes that this is no reason to rely on historical contributions. In the current challenges, he hoped that Denmark could live up to the past.

Editor's Note, 2065438+March 25th, 2006: An earlier version of this report said that Goldberger studied China immigrants in Taiwan Province Province. They are in new york. He also said that he wrote a book about Danish survivors; He edited the book.