Sigrid Helliesen Lund (23 February 1892 – 8 December 1987) was a Norwegian peace activist, noted for her humanitarian efforts throughout most of the 20th century, and in particular her resistance to the

occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. On 14 May 2006,

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

posthumously named her one of the

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to s ...

for her work during

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

Biography

Sigrid grew up in a home hospitable to artists and intellectuals of her time, and she developed an independent spirit early in her life, refusing among other things to be confirmed in the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...

. She earned her

examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

in 1911 and then took up studies in

vocal music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment ( a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but ...

in Kristiania, Bayreuth, and Paris. She had her performance debut in 1918 in Oslo. However, she developed a respiratory ailment that made a singing career impossible. She married Diderich Lund in 1923. They had two children; the younger, Erik, had

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with child development, physical growth delays, mild to moderate ...

. She started her humanitarian efforts in 1927 while she lived with her family in

Odda Odda () is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located in southeastern Hordaland c ...

. There she protested against what she perceived as unacceptable class differences. After she visited Germany in 1934, she joined the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

in 1935. She was also moved to start efforts on behalf of refugees. She became active with Nansenhjelpen and continued her efforts in occupied Norway during World War II. At the same time, she also started her efforts on behalf of children with

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...

. In the fall of 1939, she traveled to Prague to bring 37 Jewish children to Norway to save them from the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

. She became active in the Jewish Children's Home in Oslo and played a central role in their rescue in 1942. Already a committed pacifist, she became involved with the

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

during the war. In February 1944, she had to flee Norway to Sweden, where she was made captain in charge of welfare services for Norwegians who had been repatriated from Nazi concentration camps. She continued this work after the war, extending her work to the merchant marine. She also held the first chair of

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

in Norway. Sigrid Helliesen Lund formally joined the Quaker community in Oslo in 1947, and became a leading voice within the global Quaker community.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lund, Sigrid Helliesen 1892 births 1987 deaths Converts to Quakerism The Holocaust in Norway Norwegian Righteous Among the Nations Norwegian Quakers Norwegian pacifists Norwegian resistance members Norwegian women in World War II Women's International League for Peace and Freedom people

Biography

See also

References