The story of Gerda III and its role saving Danish Jews is truly inspiring. The unassuming lighthouse tender operated out of the small fishing harbor village of Gilleleje. Popular with tourists on the coast of Denmark, Gilleleje is not unlike Mystic in many ways, but it had a major role to play during World War II.
If the Nazis seemed like an insurmountable force, the locals at Gilleleje were undeterred. They led an effort which would ultimately ferry about one-fifth of the Jews in Denmark to safety in Sweden from this one village alone. In total, more than 90 percent of all Danish Jews were safely evacuated in just two weeks. Frequent inspections by Nazi soldiers in Gilleleje made the effort more challenging, but the fishing village had a few things going for it.
First was its location. At the northernmost point of the island of Zealand, Gilleleje was only about 11 miles from Sweden, so vessels that could successfully put out into open water had a good chance to make it to Sweden’s neutral territory. Likewise, the village had train connections to the capital of Copenhagen, making it accessible to many of the Jewish citizens who lived in the city.
In addition, many Jewish Danes were familiar with Gilleleje as a popular summer vacation spot. Indeed, many had summer homes in the coastal village. So, the town became a natural destination to reach the edges of Nazi-controlled territory, and fortunately, it became an exit point to safety from there.
The sheer tenacity of the people of Gilleleje cannot be understated. The citizens of the village, appalled by the policies and actions of the occupying forces, took it upon themselves to hide, support and evacuate Danish Jews in the thousands, saving lives and performing truly heroic acts in the name of humanity and decency.
As a result, this small fishing village truly made a name for itself as a home to seaside and seafaring heroes. Gerda III played an important part, ferrying over 300 people to safety in groups of 10 to 15 in the two-week evacuation. Danish Parliament eventually donated Gerda III to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York, and it is our honor to host the vessel on behalf of the museum. You can visit Gerda III and learn its story firsth which I know about who is to know about and at Mystic Seaport today.
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