Arrow Root Media

The Norwegian Underground Railroad is a documentary in progress.

Summary
In the winter of 1942, a small group of Norwegians fled their homes in the dead of winter. With their children on their backs, and skis for transport, they escaped to Sweden along a secret corridor of snow, hidden to the Nazis. After the war was over, they returned to their home town of Trondheim.

Abel Abrahamsen
Early this February, I met Abel Abrahamsen, one of the men who escaped. He is also my relative. After the Nazis had occupied my family’s store and seized their property in Norway, my family decided to escape.

Abel writes, “This was the wake-up call that set our escape plans in motion. A reliable taxi driver was hired to take mother, Heiman and me to the southern part of Norway east of Oslo where the terrain was flat. There the Resistance fighters would take us across the border to Sweden. Our remaining three brothers, Leopold, Jacob and Oskar planned to ski across the mountainous route east of Trondheim to Sweden.”

For a detailed overview of his story, you can read Abel Abrahamsen’s narrative here.

Norway
Half of Norway’s Jews – 900 of them – managed to escape through these various “Underground Railroads.” This project will tell their story, examine the experience of coming home, and look at the effects of anti-semitism they dealt with.

Who were these people? How did they create this path? Who helped them escape? What did they do while in Sweden? What happened when they came back home? What did it take – logistically and emotionally – to escape?

This project will address these questions.

Below is a collection of media & research I have gathered for my documentary project, entitled “The Norwegian Underground Railroad.” It includes inspiration, archival footage, and some photos.