Jerusalem – Several Holocaust survivors were stunned last weekend by remarks made by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who slammed the Swedish government last week over its refusal to condemn a newspaper which accused the Israel Defense Forces of harvesting Palestinians’ organs.
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“It’s a shame that the Swedish Foreign Ministry fails to intervene in a case of blood libels against Jews. This is reminiscent of Sweden’s stand during World War II, when had failed to intervene as well,” Lieberman had said.
Golda Zandman, an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor, who arrived in Israel largely thanks to the Swedish government, was amazed by this statement. “It’s simply not true – the Swedes are not anti-Semites,” she told Ynet on Sunday. “There is no such thing in Sweden. But what would Lieberman know about it? He emigrated from Russia.”
Zandman was born in Strachwitz, Poland. She was 18 years old when the World War II broke out. After the German occupation she was sent to a labor camp in the city, and was later sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp and then to Bergen Belsen.
When the war ended she was sent to Sweden, immigrated to Israel on an illegal immigrant ship, was deported to Cyprus, and returned during the War of Independence. After a few difficult years in Israel she started her own family.
She told Ynet about her life in the Scandinavian country: “I lived in Sweden for five years after the war and rehabilitated my life. It was beautiful there like in a convalescent home. If the Swedes hadn’t helped me after the war, I don’t know what would have happened. I may not have been here.”
Zandman, who was about 20 years old at the time, was sent to Sweden with her 13-year-old sister and other Jewish refugees at the end of World War II.
“They treated us very well. The Swedes saved me, gave us food, medications and clothes. After recovering, I worked in cleaning and in a hospital. I got a nice salary and even managed to buy nice things for myself and my sister. Until I immigrated to Israel in 1947,” she recalled.
“Everything was free and beautiful there. I didn’t feel any anti-Semitism. I had good Swedish friends who gave me gifts to help. The Nazis were terrible, and compared to them the Swedes were like bread and honey. That’s why I can’t tolerate what Lieberman said. It’s simply a lie.”
‘Luxurious summertime convalescent home’
In her book, “Sipure Goldah” (Golda’s stories), Zandman wrote about the trip to Sweden after the war. “We were driven on a truck to a luxurious train. Each of us was given a bed to lie on. We traveled on the train like this for three days, during which we were treated very well.
“We arrived in Sweden through the city of Lübeck. From there we were taken to a luxurious summertime convalescent home, which was closed. They gave us nice beds, which were covered with paper sheets, and provided all out urgent needs.
“We had a very good time there. We didn’t miss a thing. We got beautiful clothes. A nightgown, two summer dresses, two winter dresses, a coat, shoes and boots. There was no shortage of food as well. The food was very good, like in a convalescent home.”
Dr. Robert Rozett, a historian and director of the libraries at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, agrees with Zandman. “The foreign minister’s statement is not accurate from a historical point of view,” he says.
“It’s true that Sweden’s record from the World War II period is not bright and clean, but no country emerged well from that period. The United States is not historically clean as well. Sweden’s record – like that of most countries at the time – is mixed.”
According to Dr. Rozett, while in the 1930s the Swedes had implemented a pro-Germany policy, in the 1940s they had already saved thousands of Jews from extermination.
“Sweden in the 1930s was like most European countries, because it took in Jewish refugees but not generously. Some 2,000 Jews in total. Even when the war broke out, it was ‘neutral pro-Nazi’ and let the Germans use trains to transfer soldiers to Scandinavia.”
This trend changed at the end of 1942, he says, when the Nazis began deporting Norway’s Jews. “The Swedes opened their gates to 900 of Norway’s Jews as a gesture of Scandinavian nations. In 1943, after the great battle of Stalingrad, which marked the German’s greatest defeat during the war, the Swedes supported the allies and took in 7,200 out of Denmark’s 8,000 Jews who were slated to be sent to the camps.”
Dr. Rozett also mentions Raoul Wallenberg. “We remember the story of the diplomat who was sent on behalf of Sweden and worked to save Jews at the embassy in Budapest. Eventually, during the last days of the war, the Swedes took action and released women from the Ravensbrück camp.”
Well, just like the Germans have changed the Swedes also changed, Europe was not as Muslim and liberal as it is today…..
The Swedes are an interesting people they allways side with the what they deem as the oppressed they enjoy helping the oppressed with any means necessary.
Once the oppressed become self reliant and do not need thier help and fend for themselves , retaliate against thier enemies the Swedes turn once again to what they deem as the oppressed.
The Swedes as a people have helped the PLO since the 1970’s with money and logistics to commit world terror and kill the innocent. Unfortunatly they have become a misguided people.
What a dumb article. What in the world does saving someone 60 years ago, or even if it was last year have to do with condoning a blood libel in 2009. The fact is that there are many naive people out there who belive anything that is written as fact. And when the govt. doesn’t condem it, it’s legitimatizing it.
They did apoligize when the Mohamud cartoon was printed a few years ago.
all the scandinavian countries change from pro jewish to anti jewish not that they loved jews that much to begin with it was the right thing to do Sweden was a neutral country at the time of the WWII the gremans were free to roam-round and the water between the scandinavian countries were patrolled by uboats and german ships they sank and killed any ship that have jews on board
if a free society with a free press the government does not need to apologize.
Should Canada apologize for The Zundel Group or the usa for some racist web sites? No
my mother was also saved by the swedes
A lot of jews were saved to Sweden at the end of WW II, when the Swedes understood that their favorites, the Germans, wouldn´t win. Swedens Social Democrats were pro-Israel thanks to the good will of the kibbutz-movement in Israel, but during the Six Day War that changed and in the begining of the 1970s Sweden went pro-Arab not because of muslims migrating to Sweden but because of the Swedish dependens of Arab oil. And as a person who has been raised and been living in Sweden for the last 60+ years I know that under the thin surface of politness a great many Swedes dislikes Jews.
Malmo was host recently to an International Tennis Tournament. Because an Israeli was playing in the tournament, the stadium was closed to all spectators for that game. What a shock. It is as if it was a Nazi Policy. Jews that play cannot have any spectators. I still cannot believe the moral cowardice shown.
Certainly Raoul Wallenberg is a an amazing example of Courage and Moral Greatness. Certainly, acts of kindness during and after the Holocaust were performed. But all in all, Sweden is not morally couragous. They are kind to the cruel and cruel to the kind today.
With all respect, I’m afarid this women who said this, is B”H not up to date with the Anti semitism thats is going on today. My grand parents where saved by the British and at the same time they where careless and giving people to much to eat and let them get sick and die. So its a hard call.
Sweden bans kosher schita and bris milah. Nah, they’re not anti-semitic at all