[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 1, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO HERBERT PUNDIK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 1, 2001

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me today in 
paying tribute to Mr. Herbert Pundik--a man who has dedicated his life 
to promoting greater understanding and tolerance between people of 
different cultures, especially the Palestinians and the Israelis. His 
commitment to humanism and his many commentaries have had a great 
influence in both his native Denmark and his adopted Israel.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Pundik was only 16 years old when he himself was a 
victim of intolerance and racism. Born September 23, 1927, in 
Copenhagen, Mr. Pundik was brought up in a Jewish family, and he was 
only 12 years old when the Nazis invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940. 
Initially the occupation did not bring much change to lives of the 
Danish Jews as the Danish government and the Danish laws remained in 
effect until August 29, 1943, ensuring, among other things, that no Jew 
in Denmark ever had to wear the yellow star.
  On October 1, 1943, the Nazis decided to round up all the Danish Jews 
and deport them to concentration camps. Fortunately, G.F. Duckwitz, a 
German diplomat with contacts among the Danish Social Democrats, tipped 
off the leading Danish Social Democrat, Hans Hedtoft, regarding the 
deportation. Hedtoft quickly alerted the Jewish community, and a 
spontaneous and courageous rescue action developed among Danes. During 
the evacuation Mr. Pundik and his family, along with most other Danish 
Jews, were transported by fishing vessel to neutral Sweden. In 1945 Mr. 
Pundik joined the Danish voluntary forces in Sweden (Den Danske 
Brigade), and when Denmark was liberated in May of that year, he 
returned to Denmark to complete his high school education.
  Mr. Speaker, Herbert Pundik recently wrote a book published in 
November 1998 about the incidents surrounding the great rescue of the 
Danish Jews--In Denmark it Could Not Happen. I urge all my colleagues 
to read this book to learn the details of how the Danish population 
courageously committed themselves to common human decency and saved 
virtually their entire Jewish community.
  Mr. Pundik later went to Israel, where he was a member of the Israeli 
voluntary forces from 1948-49 when Israel fought its war of 
independence. He returned briefly to Denmark and married Susie Ginzborg 
in 1951. In 1954 they immigrated to Israel where they raised their 
three children. Their oldest son was killed as a soldier in the 1973 
Yom Kippur War. Another son was one of the two Israelis who initiated 
the Oslo peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.
  Professionally Mr. Pundik pursued a career as a journalist. He was a 
co-founder and editor of the Danish periodical Israel, and through the 
years he has worked at both Danish and Israeli newspapers covering 
major international crises such as the Vietnam War, the Kashmir 
conflict, and the Middle East struggle. In 1963 he began working as an 
international correspondent for one of the largest Danish newspapers 
Politiken and in 1967 he became a permanent employee. Three years later 
he was promoted to editor-in-chief. Under terms of a unique agreement, 
Mr. Pundik managed Politiken for 23 years, commuting forth and back 
between Denmark and Israel each month and spending roughly three weeks 
in Copenhagen and one week in Tel Aviv.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Pundik's dedication to human rights and tolerance 
has earned him many prizes--among those are honorary citizenship of 
Latvia in 1991 because he was the first person to suggest that Denmark 
send a cultural representative to Latvia, even though the country was 
then technically a part of the Soviet Union. In 1993 Mr. Pundik retired 
from his position as editor-in-chief at Politiken, but he has continued 
his humanitarian efforts. He is a member on the board of Politiken, the 
coordinator for the International Alliance for Arab-Israel Peace and a 
member on the board of directors of Humanity in Action, an exchange 
student program with participants from the U.S., the Netherlands, and 
Denmark.
  Mr. Speaker, often in today's world too much attention is focused on 
the violent aspects of society. Today however, we have the opportunity 
to pay tribute to an extraordinary man who is a consistent and eloquent 
advocate for peace and tolerance. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to 
join me in recognizing Mr. Herbert Pundik.

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