Kirsten Falkesgaard Slot, Holst Fellowship recipient from Denmark, speaks about the meaning of the Danish rescue for Jews.

I am writing to you to express my gratitude for receiving The Holst Fellowship Scholarship 1997. I returned in the end of August from the Middle East after three wonderful and very interesting weeks in Israel, whereupon I continued my trip to Egypt, which I also enjoyed.

As a student of history at University I have, of course, been taught about the Second World War in the "professional" way, and with my father being in his twenties during the War, my grandfather in his forties, I am raised with their stories and experiences as a natural party of my childhood. The tragedies of the Second World War is something, not only I, but in my view most Danish people are very aware of—for example, many Danish High Schools travel to the former Eastern Europe where the young people visit one or more of the Concentration Camps, a visit which I find very important.

But despite the awareness and the knowledge about the acts of the Danish resistance movement, I find exists in Denmark, I was very surprised and emotional moved to learn how much Denmark and the Danish people meant and still mean in the mind of the Jewish people.

One particular experience I had made a big impression on me. I was in class with a young American Jew, who, when told that I was Danish, took my hand, looked into my eyes and said "thank you." It was all he said, but it was also all he needed to say to make me almost uncomfortably aware of the gratitude many people still feel towards Denmark. I am proud of being Danish, even though as a student of history, I am aware of the fact, that the story behind the rescue of the Danish Jews has more sides than people normally know. I just hope that my generation is capable of living up to the reputation of our past—also in the future.

Again, thank you very much for the chance of studying in Israel the Holst Awards gave me—the three weeks in Israel will definitely be a memory, which I will be looking back upon with joy.