Max Friediger was a Danish chief rabbi

Chief Rabbi

Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...

 and a survivor of the Holocaust.

After the occupation of Denmark

Occupation of Denmark

Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark began with Operation Weserübung on 9 April 1940, and lasted until German forces withdrew at the end of World War II following their surrender to the Allies on 5 May 1945. Contrary to the situation in other countries under German occupation, most Danish...

 by the Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

 together with other Danish Jews, he was interned as a hostage by the occupying power in 1943 in the open state prison at Horserød, and later deported to Theresienstadt concentration camp

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...

. Friediger led the church register of approx. 480 Danish Jews in a synagogue located in a storeroom within the camp and later published an account of life in Theresienstadt.

After his death in 1947, his successor as chief rabbi was Marcus Melchior

Marcus Melchior

Marcus Melchior was acting chief rabbi of Denmark in 1943 at the time of the rescue of the Danish Jews.Marcus Melchior came from a prominent Jewish family in Denmark...

.