Sweden declared its neutrality in September 1939, immediately after the outbreak of World War II. Affected by a British naval blockade and always at risk of German invasion, Sweden maintained its precarious neutrality by serving useful functions for both sides.
In the first years of the Nazi regime of Germany, the Swedish government limited immigration for “political refugees” in such a way as to deny most German Jews entry into the country. During the war years, however, the Swedish government actively assisted refugees from Scandinavian countries. Around 900 of the 1,700 Jews of Norway, about 100 Jews from Finland, and nearly all 7,800 Jews of Denmark were sheltered in Sweden during the war. In 1944, the Swedish government also worked closely with the War Refugee Board and the World Jewish Congress to lend assistance to the Jewish population of Hungary. Tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews were saved from deportation through the efforts of Swedish diplomats in Budapest including Raoul Wallenberg and Per Anger. In the final months of World War II, the Swedish Red Cross was able to convince Heinrich Himmler to arrange for transfers of hundreds of concentration camp prisoners to Sweden. Silvia was brought to Sweden on a transport from Ravensbrueck.
After the war, Sweden became a refuge for thousands of war victims. The people of Sweden went to great efforts to rehabilitate Holocaust survivors like Sol, who were brought there for medical care, training, and emigration assistance.
