When a documentary illustrated Sweden’s role as a haven for Jews during the Holocaust, some audience members took note of the positive take on a terrible moment.
About 70 people gathered on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Curtin Hall for a screening of “Passage to Sweden.” The film was co-presented by the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center and Jewish Museum Milwaukee, both programs of Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
The documentary sheds light on the little-known stories of resistance and rescue in World War II Scandinavia and Budapest, where ordinary people took extraordinary risks to save thousands of Jewish lives.
“In a world of great division and growing antisemitism, ‘Passage To Sweden’ is an inspiring film highlighting solidarity, courage, and humanity,” according to Jewish Museum Milwaukee promotional materials.
After the screening, the film’s creator and director, Suzannah Warlick, joined a Zoom with the audience. “This film took 14 years,” Warlick said. “I focused in on the inspirational part of this horrific time and wanted to bring about the goodness and compassion that people had towards the Jews.”
“We already have a lot of films about the horrific things that happened during the Holocaust, and I don’t think enough about the heroic actions that people took.”
Michael and Tracy Askotzky, who live just down the street from UW-Milwaukee, came after seeing an email announcement.
“I’m a believer that history repeats itself,” Michael said. “This was actually a calmer, nicer side of the Holocaust and more uplifting than what you normally see.”
“I think people are fundamentally good if given the chance. But there weren’t that many chances they could take without their own family dying or themselves. So it was real courage to do what they did,” Tracy said, referring to those who risked their lives to help sneak Jews into Sweden. The film highlighted the courageous efforts of the Norwegian resistance, the Swedish Red Cross, the citizens of Denmark, and Swedish diplomats Raoul Wallenberg and Count Folke Bernadotte, two key figures who differed in approach but both daringly led rescue efforts.
The documentary particularly emphasized the clever and risk-taking Raoul Wallenberg, who issued protective passports, operated safe houses in Nazi-occupied Hungary and negotiated with German and Hungarian authorities. Wallenberg saved an estimated 100,000 Hungarian Jews. Bernadotte, the Swedish diplomat, organized the “White Buses” operation, which liberated concentration camp prisoners, primarily from Denmark and Norway, and evacuated them to Sweden.
Michael was particularly struck by the story of the White Buses, which rescued around 17,000 people: “That would fill a stadium.”
The Askotzkys also connected the film to the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” where there are reports of dehumanizing living conditions, according to CNN and the New York Times.
“It’s a changing world, and it’s scary. You hear about people leaving the country… My daughter knows a woman who just picked up and moved (overseas), never looking back,” said Michael. “I know a young couple with their baby who said that they can’t handle it here. They’re moving to Copenhagen,” Tracy added.
Tracy feels that those choosing to leave should look at the bigger picture: “It’s cyclical, it’s a moment in time, that unfortunately is going on too long right now, but will be over. We don’t know where we’re headed yet, but I’m hopeful. I’m very hopeful. You’ve got to be.”
Kathy and Joe Sauer, who traveled through Sweden, Norway and Denmark last September, said the film held extra meaning for them. They heard about the event through a newsletter from Jewish Museum Milwaukee, where they are members.
Kathy was fascinated by the bravery of the Danish fishermen who secretly ferried Jews to safety across the Øresund Strait. She was also deeply moved by how welcoming and compassionate the Swedish were when the refugees arrived on their shores.
“I learned things I didn’t know about Scandinavian countries during World War II,” Kathy said. “The Danish people got along with the Jews just like they were all neighbors together, and the Germans couldn’t understand what that was about.”
Elizabeth Levins, who also heard about the event from Jewish Museum Milwaukee, found the story “amazing,” especially the way Sweden’s economic relationships protected its alleged neutrality. “The irony was that Sweden was supplying the war effort for Germany and that’s why the Germans left them alone.”
Thinking of the documentary and the horrors of the Holocaust, Joe indicated it seems some cycles in world history will never end: “Antisemitism, still.”
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