Christensen Anna

Christensen, Anna Anna Christensen, an active member of the International League for Peace and Freedom, in Nyborg, Denmark, aided in the rescue of 40 Jewish children. Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria had begun to enter the country in the 1930s, after Hitler came to power. Youth Aliyah, too, had been sending in groups of children to prepare them for agricultural work in anticipation of the move to Eretz Israel. One such group arrived in Nyborg. At first Anna enrolled the children openly in the local school, but, after the German invasion on April 9, 1940, the authorities were too frightened to allow it, so she turned her cellar into a classroom. Christensen taught general subjects and the group leaders took care of the other subjects. When the danger to Jews increased, Christensen organized, with the help of her friends, hiding places for the children. She inspected the homes to which they were sent. Twice a week and during the festivals all the children met. She arranged discussions on various topics and often cooked traditional dishes for the children. She was a warm and loving person, treating them with motherly affection. She was always there for them, encouraging and lifting their spirits. In the autumn of 1943, Christensen managed, with the help of the Danish underground movement, to smuggle them out of the country to Sweden. After the war was over, Christensen maintained contact with “her children”, sending them cards on eve of every festival. She visited Israel in 1966 as a guest of her children. On May 31, 1966, Yad Vashem recognized Anna Christensen as Righteous Among the Nations