I have been invited to join the Board of the organization Thanks to Scandinavia which I accepted.  I feel that this will allow me to focus on obtaining information on how to educate the general public on efforts to alleviate the increased anti-Semitism in Europe.
TTS was founded by Danish entertainer Victor Borge and New York attorney Richard Netter in 1963.  Thanks To Scandinavia provides dozens of scholarships for students from Scandinavia and Bulgaria each year in gratitude for the heroic rescue and protection of Jews in Europe during the Second World War.

TTS goals:

•    Telling the inspiring story of how Scandinavians protected thousands of their Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust years.
•    Granting educational scholarships to students, medical professionals, and teachers in continued gratitude and friendship.
•    Building bridges of friendship among Scandinavians, Americans, and Jews worldwide that are vibrant today and into the future.

Thanks To Scandinavia is an institute of America Jewish Committee.

I wrote an article for Thanks To Scandinavia during a trip to Norway which included a cruise on Hurtigruten, a very well known Norwegian Coast Cruise this June, which took me from Bergen to Kirkenes, one of the Northern most points, past the Arctic Circle. It gave me an opportunity to focus on all three of my identities, Norwegian, Jewish and American. View the article here.

This picture was taken in June 2011 when my brother and I attempted to retrace our escape route to Sweden in 1942.  The sign reflects that we are about to leave Norway and cross over onto Swedish soil (The International Border to the Country of Sweden).  I have chosen to include this relatively official sign because it brought my thoughts back to the day in November 1942 when our little group must have passed this sign or another similar sign when we finally reached our destination.

The English version of my book, “We Are Going to Pick Potatoes,” Norway and the Holocaust, the Untold Story, was launched at the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford on April 1, 2010. Since then I feel as if I have been living on a merry-go-round, although it has been a very exciting and rewarding ride.

This year I have had the pleasure of presenting my book to a number of people of surprising diversity.  The public’s interest in my story does not seem to be limited to any one group.

Following the Hartford launch, the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City together with Thanks to Scandinavia hosted a well attended event and reception, where Bjarte Bruland from the Oslo Jewish Museum, and I were the speakers.  The Norwegian Consul General of New York introduced me. Thereafter, I spoke to a number of groups in Hartford, New Haven and Greenwich, Connecticut. In June I was invited to present the book at the Jewish Book Council (JBC), which showcases books with Jewish related content to organizations around the country.

This fall, I visited Boston, Washington, DC and San Francisco. In Boston I had a memorable meeting with Rabbi Wesley Gardenswartz at Temple Emanuel in Newton, MA (outside of Boston). He brought tears to my eyes as he opened the doors to the Temple ark to say a blessing for me stating that he considered me to be “the custodian of the memory of the Holocaust in Norway.” From there I went to Brookline, where I spoke with people from a wonderful organization called Facing History – And Ourselves. I also spoke to a European history class at Brandeis University.

In Washington, DC, I was the main speaker at the annual interfaith service of the historic Washington Hebrew Congregation (WHC). This service is held to commemorate Kristallnacht in 1938.  In her introductory remarks, the communication director of the Norwegian Embassy in Washington said that it is important to educate the next generation about this tragic chapter of Norwegian history. The congregation presented a copy of the book to each member of the graduating confirmation class.

I was honored with a private luncheon with Norwegian Ambassador Wegger Strømmen.  I also spent one day at the US Holocaust Museum bookstore, where I sold and signed copies of my book.

In San Francisco, the main event was at the San Francisco Bureau of Jewish Education.  The Norwegian Consulate of San Francisco and the Holocaust Center of Northern California co-sponsored the event, which included a reception for the audience.  The Consul General himself focused on the relevance of the story in his introduction.  The Swedish Consul General also participated and delivered an emotional and heartfelt endorsement. (http://www.bjesf.org/adults_events.htm#pickpotatoes) My San Francisco visit also included an event for the Jewish organization, ORT. On our last night, my husband and I were guests of honor at a special evening at the well-established Norwegian Men’s Club.

The Norwegian Consulate in San Francisco is now seeking to initiate a similar series of events for me in Los Angeles, and I am looking forward to meeting and working with yet another representative of the Norwegian foreign department.  I am deeply gratified by the support I have received from the Norwegian diplomatic community.

This is testimony to the importance of the story of Norway and the Holocaust. Although my book is completed, the real work of sharing my story is just getting started.  It is clear to me that, based on all the new experiences I am having and the people that I am meeting, my journey back in time has so many new roads to travel.