Marcus Melchior (1897 – 1969) was a Danish rabbi. The rabbi of the main synagogue in Copenhagen,

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, at the time of the

rescue of the Danish Jews The Danish resistance movement, with the assistance of many Danish citizens, managed to evacuate 7,500 of Denmark's 8,000 Jews, plus 686 non-Jewish spouses, by sea to nearby Sweden during World War II, neutral Sweden during the Second World War. ...

in October 1943, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After escaping with his family and most other Danish Jews to Sweden, he served as the acting rabbi for the Jewish refugees in Sweden until the end of the war, in mid 1945. In 1947 he became the

chief rabbi Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

of Denmark, a post he held until his death, in 1969.

Biography

Melchior came from a prominent Jewish family in Denmark. After receiving his Dr. Phil. from Königsberg University and his rabbinical diploma from the

Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary The Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary (officially in until 1880, thereafter ''Rabbiner-Seminar zu Berlin''; in , ''Bet ha-midrash le-Rabanim be-Berlin'') was founded in Berlin on 22 October 1873 by Rabbi Dr. Israel Hildesheimer for the training of ...

, in Berlin, Germany, in 1921, he served as a rabbi in

Tarnowskie Góry Tarnowskie Góry (; ; ) is a city in Silesia, southern Poland, located in the Silesian Highlands near Katowice and seat city of Tarnowskie Góry County Located in the north of the Metropolis GZM, a megalopolis (city type), megalopolis, the great ...

, Poland, from 1921 to 1923, and in

Beuthen Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian language, Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capital. It is one ...

, Germany (today,

Bytom Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian language, Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capital. It is one ...

, Poland), from 1925 to 1934. He then moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark, and became

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

for the Jewish community there. There he edited a magazine entitled '' Jødisk Familieblad''. From 1943 to 1945 he was acting rabbi for the Jewish refugees from Denmark in Sweden. Following the death of Max Friediger, in 1947, he became chief rabbi in Denmark. After World War II he pleaded for reconciliation with the new Germany. Though his background was Orthodox, his rhetorical skills and his culturally open attitudes made him a popular lecturer also outside Jewish circles. He fathered four sons and two daughters, among them Arne Melchior (who became a frontbench Danish politician and government minister) and Binyamin (Bent) Melchior. In 1969, the latter succeeded his father as chief rabbi in Copenhagen, and is the father of

Michael Melchior Michael Melchior (; born January 31, 1954) is a Jewish leader, Orthodox rabbi, thinker, and activist. He is a former Minister of Social and Diaspora Affairs, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a former member of Knesset for Meimad ...

, who is chief rabbi in Norway and emigrated to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

in 1986 where he became a member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

for the Labour-Meimad faction. He was also the grandfather of Rabbi Ove "Uri" Schwarz who served as the Chief Rabbi of Finland 1982–1987 as well as great-grandfather of the present Chief Rabbi of Denmark, Yair Melchior. Melchior’s actions during the Holocaust are widely credited as a decisive factor in the survival of the vast majority of Danish Jews.

References

External links

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The tip-off from a Nazi that saved my grandparents
Danish Orthodox rabbis Norwegian Orthodox Jews Swedish Orthodox Jews 20th-century Swedish rabbis Chief rabbis of Denmark Danish expatriates in Sweden The Holocaust in Denmark The Holocaust and Sweden Danish people of World War II 1897 births 1969 deaths

Marcus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

20th-century Danish rabbis 20th-century Norwegian rabbis {{Europe-rabbi-stub