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Kane
Lv 4
Kane asked in TravelAfrica & Middle EastIsrael · 1 decade ago

Which country during World War 2 saved many from death at the hands of the Nazis???

Which had a long been considered enemy of the Jews due to it Anti-Semitic history.

Update:

paperback, that is a good answer... but not quite. The country I am asking about had and is known for it's history...

Update 2:

The country provided many with visas...

Update 3:

Many of you are correct about Iran saving many Jews, especially many orphans in Teheran, but Iran did not have a history of Anti-Semitism. Remember Iran is also Semitic.

Update 4:

Haman the Conspirator-- I had no idea Farsi was Aryan tongue. Iran does NOT have a history of Anti-Semitism.

Mark-- Palestine did not have a history of Anti-Semitism.

Davey Boy-- You know I am not giving you the best answer...

I can't believe, many of us don't acknowledge what Spain did...

Update 5:

Many of us are unaware of what Spain did...

Update 6:

Thumbs Up to everyone... All are great answers!!!

29 Answers

Relevance
  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    There are many examples of many european nations both handing Jews over to the Nazis as well as protecting some at the same time. With the exception of Denmark, which should be saluted, most of the nations and their policies acted on political and economic principle as opposed to any moral principal. There were many individual heros ranging from private citizens to governtment officials who used whatever means were at their disposal to try and help jews- but thats entirely different from government policy and action.

    The Spain paradox is really defined by Franco, and how he navigated WW2 as a neutral country despite his ties to Nazi Germany- and I would not rush to paint it as heroic. Franco was interested in what was best for Franco- nothing more, nothing less, If he had been offered Gilbrata(sp?) for the Jews within Spain, I'm sure the outcome would have been different. - Franco was no missionary-and the major German forces never entered Spain, so Spain never faced the same test other countries did (and failed). Even Mussolini could be credited with saving Jewish lives under this logic.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I know that Albanian Muslims did a lot and saved almost their entire Jewish population from the Nazis.

    Other than that... Denmark was wonderful, but I guess you don't mean this country because it was not an 'enemy' of the Jews.

    edit... hmmmmm..... well, you really have me intrigued now!

    The countries that I always heard had a bad history of anti semitism were Poland, Austria, and France.

    So I'll guess....Poland?

    (Or Austria?!)

    Hopeless, thank you very much for those links. I found that so interesting. Yes, it does seem that this show is illustrating to Iranian people some things that we Jews experienced. The only negative point is where there is a division between Israel, and Jews, because of course Israel is the Jewish state. But overall, the programme SEEMS to be having a positive effect, and anything which can foster better relations is good. :)

    So, is the answer to the question in fact Iran?

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Spain save a lot of Jews with a history of anti semitism.

    Source(s): Spain-Franco and the Jews
  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Spain was a very anti semitic country back then, I am surprised how they save a lot of Jews during the holocaust.

  • How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
  • I have to go with Spain, where many Sephardim Jews had already applied for citizenship or had apeard on embassy lists as former Spanish and were saved. Some families had not been or visit Spain for the last 500 years.

    It does have a history of the Inquisition and anti-semitism.

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    Their country is situated on the natural invasion route to France from Germany. For Germany to invade France in both wars, they needed to attack Belgium first. In both wars the Belgians tried to put up a good fight, but they could not match the manpower of a much larger combined German state. (Germany only became a united country in 1871.) By natural invasion route you need to think about terrain. It's simply easier to move marching men and wheeled vehicles over flatter ground.

  • 1 decade ago

    The countries that saved the Jews the most were Poland, followed by Netherlands, France, Ukraine, Belgium, Lithuania, Hungary, Belarus, Slovakia, Germany (including Oskar Schindler), etc.

    See the links below for more details.

  • 1 decade ago

    Paperback is very correct but there was also a large number of Jews who were Polish Jewish Refugees in Shanghai who were discriminated against and forced to live in Refugee Camps for many years.

    edit: also many arab lands including that of Palestine!

    edit: Haman, that's very possible, BTW does Iran still show on tv this weekly show? Iran Holocaust show sympathetic to Jews. See the second link plz, from Canadian TV

  • 1 decade ago

    It's one of the great untold stories of World War II: In 1943, in German-occupied Denmark, the Danish people find out that all 7,500 Danish Jews are about to be rounded up and deported to German concentration camps. Danish citizens spontaneously make their own decision: it's not going to happen. And it didn't. Risking their own lives, the Danes quickly rallied round to save their fellow citizens, and almost all of the country's Jews were able to escape the clutches of the Nazis and find refuge in neutral Sweden.

    .

  • .
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Quite a few countries contributed to saving their Jews from destruction.

    French resistance fought against the Vichy government of France and helped Jews escape.

    Poland, in spite of the massive loss of Jewish life, had a large segment of it's populis that hid Jews.

    Bulgaria saved almost its entire Jewish population.

    Denmark as well.

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