During WWII, several European countries refused to follow Nazi orders to deport their Jewish citizens.
Denmark’s story is one of the most notable examples from WWII. In 1943, a German spy informed the Danish resistance about a plan to round up all the Jews. Danes, including fishermen, managed to hide the Jews in a single night and take them to neutral Sweden in a series of small boats across the strait. More than 7,200 Jews out of 7,500 were saved by the people of Denmark during WWII.
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A rescue effort also took place in Bulgaria. Even though Bulgaria was a German ally, trains were prepared to transport Jews to Nazi concentration camps. However, the news leaked, and protests broke out. Bulgarians blocked the railway tracks, church officials protested, and the government stopped the trains from leaving. The final decision to stop the deportation was made by the king. Tens of thousands of Jews were saved in Bulgaria.
Albanian authorities officially declared that they would not allow Jews to be forcibly deported during WWII. Albanian citizens welcomed Jewish refugees. Traditional hospitality and respect for guests encouraged locals to provide forged documents, shelter, and safe routes through mountain villages. In Albania, the Jewish population actually increased during WWII.
During WWII, Finland fought against both the German army and the Soviet Union. At the end of 1942, Himmler came to Finland and demanded that the Finnish government deport all Jews, but the prime minister refused. Jews were not deported from Finland during WWII, and about 300 Jewish soldiers served in the Finnish army, only 50 km from the German army.