[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 44 (Tuesday, April 21, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO KNUD DYBY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRAD SHERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 21, 1998

  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Knud Dyby 
for his courage, heroism, and humanitarian actions as a member of the 
Danish resistance movement during World War II, as well as his 
participation in one of the most daring and successful evacuations of 
Jewish citizens from Nazi occupied Europe undertaken during the war.
  Margaret Mead once urged us, ``Never [to] doubt that a small group of 
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the 
only thing that ever does.'' In Denmark during the Second World War, a 
small group of dedicated resistors unwilling to fold under Nazi 
oppression changed the lives of over 7,000 Jews. Knud Dyby was one of 
these resistors.
  At the age of 26, defying all dangers, Knud became a member of the 
Danish resistance movement. As a police officer, he was an integral 
part of the resistance's vast intelligence apparatus. Risking his life, 
he provided resistance leaders with much needed information regarding 
Nazi patrols along the sea lanes between Denmark and Sweden. When 
German diplomats announced the Third Reich's intention to deport Danish 
Jews to concentration camps the resistance began actively evacuating 
Jews from the country.
  Operating in secret, Knud and his compatriots successfully 
transported almost all of Denmark's Jewish population across the Sound, 
the narrow waterway that separated Sweden from the Nazi occupied 
Europe. In October of 1943, over 7,200 of Denmark's 8,000 Jews were 
carried to safety.
  In the months following this operation, Mr. Dyby continued to play a 
critical role in the underground movement to rid Denmark of Nazi 
occupation. As an avid sailor, Knud was aware of the best hiding places 
for resistance ships waiting to speed across the Sound to safety. He 
was familiar with the German patrol routines and outmaneuvered Nazi 
sailors on numerous occasions. From 1944 until May 4, 1945, Knud 
managed five fishing skippers and transported mail, money and weapons 
vital to the life of the resistance between Sweden and occupied 
Denmark. He made hundreds of sea crossings on behalf of the Danish 
resistance movement and those fleeing the Third Reich.
  Today, Knud Dyby speaks modestly about his experiences, about his 
bravery and his courage. In an address to students at Sonoma State 
University in California, Mr. Dyby said that what he did was ``just 
what any other human should do for another in need.'' For his efforts, 
Knud was awarded the title ``Righteous Among the Nations'' by the State 
of Israel. Etched on a medal awarded to Mr. Dyby is a simple statement 
taken from the Talmud, ``Whosoever preserves one life--it is as though 
he has preserved the entire world.''
  Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleagues, please join me in paying 
tribute to Knud Dyby. He is a role model for the generations and proves 
to us that one can, and should, resist oppression.

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