Marcus Choleva
Encyclopedia
Marcus Choleva is the CEO of a successful Danish
concern called KFI (Købmændenes Finansieringsinstitut) which is translated to "The Merchants' financing-institute".
to parents of Latvian-Polish Jewish descent. His great-grandparents fled Eastern Europe
due to rekindled anti-Semitism
. The surname Choleva (originally spelled Cholewa) is a metonymic
occupational name for a bootmaker, or a nickname
for someone who habitually wore boots.
Background
After the battles of Stalingrad
and El-Alamein
the incidents of resistance, violent and symbolic, increased exponentially in Denmark. In March 1943 the Germans allowed an election
that embarrassed them by giving good results to anti-Nazi parties. The election, discontent, and a growing feeling of optimism
that Germany would be defeated led to wide spread strike
s and civil disturbances in the summer of 1943. The Danish government refused to deal with the situation in a way that would satisfy the Germans, so on 29 August 1943 the Germans officially dissolved the Danish government and instituted martial law
.
When the collaboration between the Danish and the German government ended, the German policies became more rigorous, and this entailed, amongst other things, in the persecution of the Danish Jews. While many privileged Danish Jews fled to Sweden
by boat, Marcus Choleva and his family were less fortunate as their neighbours divulged their location to the Gestapo
.They were subsequently arrested and sent to the concentration camp Theresienstadt
located in present-day Czech Republic
. The Danish Jews were treated better in Theresienstadt than other European Jews, and were not immediately deported to death camps like many of the other Jews in the camp. Marcus Choleva and most of his family spent a year and a half in the concentration camp, surviving the Holocaust.
The Marcus Choleva Family Foundation owns buildings worth two billion EUR in Denmark
in Denmark for a CEO.
Philanthropist
Marcus Choleva has donated a considerable amount of money and a vase of remembrance to the Israel
i Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem
.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
concern called KFI (Købmændenes Finansieringsinstitut) which is translated to "The Merchants' financing-institute".
Life
Marcus Choleva was born (April 12, 1933) in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to parents of Latvian-Polish Jewish descent. His great-grandparents fled Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
due to rekindled anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
. The surname Choleva (originally spelled Cholewa) is a metonymic
Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept...
occupational name for a bootmaker, or a nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
for someone who habitually wore boots.
Background
After the battles of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
and El-Alamein
Battle of El Alamein
There were two battles of El Alamein in World War II, both fought in 1942. The Battles occurred in Egypt in and around an area named after a railway stop called El Alamein at .* First Battle of El Alamein – 1–27 July 1942...
the incidents of resistance, violent and symbolic, increased exponentially in Denmark. In March 1943 the Germans allowed an election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
that embarrassed them by giving good results to anti-Nazi parties. The election, discontent, and a growing feeling of optimism
Optimism
The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense...
that Germany would be defeated led to wide spread strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
s and civil disturbances in the summer of 1943. The Danish government refused to deal with the situation in a way that would satisfy the Germans, so on 29 August 1943 the Germans officially dissolved the Danish government and instituted martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
.
When the collaboration between the Danish and the German government ended, the German policies became more rigorous, and this entailed, amongst other things, in the persecution of the Danish Jews. While many privileged Danish Jews fled to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
by boat, Marcus Choleva and his family were less fortunate as their neighbours divulged their location to the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
.They were subsequently arrested and sent to the concentration camp Theresienstadt
Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp was a Nazi German ghetto during World War II. It was established by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín , located in what is now the Czech Republic.-History:The fortress of Terezín was constructed between the years 1780 and 1790 by the orders...
located in present-day Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. The Danish Jews were treated better in Theresienstadt than other European Jews, and were not immediately deported to death camps like many of the other Jews in the camp. Marcus Choleva and most of his family spent a year and a half in the concentration camp, surviving the Holocaust.
The Marcus Choleva Family Foundation owns buildings worth two billion EUR in Denmark
Recent Exploits
Last year, Marcus Choleva earned 14 million kroner (2.5 million USD), a record-high salarySalary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis....
in Denmark for a CEO.
Philanthropist
Marcus Choleva has donated a considerable amount of money and a vase of remembrance to the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
.