History of the Jews in Denmark

The location of Denmark (dark green) in Europe (with possessions Greenland and Faroe Islands)
Danish Jews
Danske jøder
יהודים דניים
Total population
6,400[1]
Regions with significant populations
Copenhagen
Languages
Danish, Hebrew, Yiddish
Religion
Judaism
Census results
year Jews Population %
1787 1,830 841,806 0.2%[2]
1840 3,839 1,289,075 0.3%[3]
1850 3,941 1,414,648 0.3%[3]
1860 4,214 1,608,362 0.3%[3]
1870 4,290 1,784,741 0.2%[3]
1880 3,946 1,969,039 0.2%[3]
1890 4,080 2,138,529 0.2%[4]
1901 3,476 2,449,540 0.1%[3]
1911 5,164 2,757,076 0.2%[3]
1921 5,947 3,267,831 0.2%[5]

The history of Jews in Denmark goes back to the 1600s. Although there were very likely Jewish merchants, sailors, and among others, who entered Denmark during the Middle Ages, back in around the year 1000, when Denmark became the first Christian Kingdom until 1536, though no efforts were made to establish a Jewish community. At present, Jewish community of Denmark constitutes a small minority of about 6,000 persons within Danish society.

In 1814, when Norway gained independence from Denmark, the general ban against Jews entering the country was "continued" in new Norwegian Constitution. The community's population peaked prior to the Holocaust at which time the Danish resistance movement (with the assistance of many ordinary Danish citizens) took part in a collective effort to evacuate about 8,000 Jews and their families from Denmark by sea to nearby neutral Sweden, an act which ensured the safety of almost all the Danish Jews.

  1. ^ "The Virtual Jewish World — Jewish Population of the World". The Virtual Jewish Library. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. ^ "Some notes on statistics and demographics". Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Folketællingen i Kongeriget Danmark - den 1. februar 1901". p. 38. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  4. ^ "De anerkjendte afvigende Troessamfund i Danmark". p. CLXXXV. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Folketællingen i Kongeriget Danmark - den 1. februar 1921". p. 62. Retrieved 19 January 2019.