Rosenbaum’s Rescue

Autumn 1943. Pleased with the bespoke suit made for him by the young Jewish tailor, the satisfied customer offered not a tip, but a tip-off – and one that more than likely saved the lives of over 7,000 Danish Jews. At the heart of A. Bodin Saphir’s fascinating play lies the historic escape of 7,500 Danish Jews by boat from their Nazi-occupied native country to Sweden. To this day there are debates about how this mass exodus was possible. Was this a miracle and a testament to the inherent decency of the Danish character? Or did something else happen? In 1943, Danish fishermen risked their own lives to send 7,500 Jews to Sweden. They saved roughly 90% of the Danish Jewish population. In 2001, as Denmark revises their immigration policy, two men are struggling to separate fact from fiction. This gripping play examines the malleability of truth, shared history, and how easily our memories can be altered. Playwright A. Bodin Saphir forces us to closely examine the plight of today’s refugees.