ABSTRACT
Hiding was fraught with limitations. It was easier to conceal girls than boys. The Jewish custom of circumcision meant that Jewish boys could be identified as non-Christians. Helping Jews to flee were Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress, the Jewish Agency for Palestine and the Joint Distribution Committee. The Nazis searched diligently for hidden Jews, and children were especially vulnerable as there were actions targeted specifically at finding the young. An escape route via the Balkans was used from 1937 to 1944 by the Zionist movement to carry Jews to Palestine. Perhaps surprisingly, in areas secured by Italian forces, such as southern France, Greece and Yugoslavia, the Italians gave safe-haven to Jews from mid-1942 to September 1943. The resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Denmark launched a nationwide rescue, helping nearly 8,000 people, most of whom were Jews, to escape by boat to Sweden.
