Leif was born to a Jewish family in the Danish capital of
Copenhagen. Both of his parents were active in the Jewish
community there, and his father owned a small garment factory.
The majority of Denmark's 6,000 Jews lived in Copenhagen before
the war. Despite its size, the city's Jewish population
supported many Jewish organizations, often aiding Jewish
refugees from all over Europe. 1933-39: I went to a Jewish
nursery school, which was next to a girls' school in Copenhagen.
I didn't like my school because they made me take a nap in the
afternoon. At school, we learned how to spell and read and
sometimes we even sang songs. I played with all kinds of
children--some of them were Jewish and some of them were not. I
didn't really care; they were all my friends. 1940-44: The
Germans occupied Denmark in April 1940. On August 28, 1943, the
same day they took over the government, my parents took us to
Tivoli Gardens, a huge amusement park in the center of
Copenhagen. Leaving the park, we saw people gathered in the s