Thanks To Scandinavia Commends Finnish Prime Minister
Thanks To Scandinavia would like to publicly commend the apology of Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen this Sunday to country’s Jewish community for Finland’s extradition of eight Jews to Nazi Germany in 1942.
Finland’s wartime record with regard to its treatment of Jews is amongthe most exemplary in Europe. Finland, though a co-belligerent of Germany during the war and dependent upon the country for food and arms, adamantly refused repeated Nazi orders by Heinrich Himmler to deliver the Finnish Jewish community of approximately 2,000 for “Hitler’s Final Solution.” Likewise, its police did not cooperate with the Gestapo when action was sought by force. Nearly all of the country’s Jews were saved as a result.
Since 1963, Thanks To Scandinavia, founded by international entertainer Victor Borge and New York attorney Richard Netter, has been celebrating the heroic history of the rescue of Jews in Finland as well as Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, by granting fellowships to the countries’ students for study in the United States and elsewhere.
According to co-founder Richard Netter: “We are deeply moved by the recent apology. We support Prime Minister Lipponen’s honesty and bravery in recognizing errors in judgement and behavior that caused the loss of valuable lives. At the same time, we reaffirm our thanks to Finland for the extraordinary care it showed to the great majority of its Jewish citizens during the darkest period in our history.”
Thanks To Scandinavia has published a book on the history of Finland and the Holocaust by Dr. Hannu Rautkallio that is distributed through the TTS office and at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. It is the only book of its kind in the English language.
Thanks To Scandinavia is a non-profit organization affiliated with the American Jewish Committee. For further information, please call Executive Director Rebecca Neuwirth at (212) 751-4000, ext. 403.
Feature
RSVP NOW! TTS Dinner Benefit on Feb 28
Thanks To Scandinavia is very excited to announce that on Tuesday, February 28th we will be hosting our very first dinner benefit at Swedish star chef Marcus Samuelsson’s hot new restaurant, Red Rooster. Rather than waiting for months to get a seat at this sold out restaurant, why not join us for an evening of [...]
Read More >>
Follow Us:
