Norway is in so many ways a beautiful country. Norwegian society and culture has so much going for it. But we Norwegians are no more perfect than anyone else, and we cannot blame Israel for this and we cannot blame the Israel-lobby. Not for faults which are our own. Just like the problems of...
Norway, Israel and the Jews
- Happy 17th of MayOnce more, we gather under our flag to celebrate our freedom. Each 17th of May, the Jewish community in Oslo organize a formal and serene commemoration of Henrik Wergeland, the son of one of the member of the Constituent Assembly for our Constitution. In its original version, our Constitution was shamed by the exclusion of Jews and Jesuits in Norway, som […]
- “Minister of justice” to Jews in Oslo: too badThe synagogue in Oslo – already one of the most fortified structures in Norway – applied to the government for additional funds to secure its congregation. They asked for NOK 21 million but got NOK 7 million. After all the speeches Støre and Stoltenberg with no end to the flowery assurances, this is what it comes down to: Jews should be content feeling prett […]
- The Jewish Community in Oslo applied for NOK 21 million for security measures, only got NOK 7,2lifted from Vårt Land Synagogues receive NOK 7.2 million for security The money goes towards securing doors, upgrade the monitoring system and setting up a security fence. The Government proposes in the revised national budget to allocate 7.2 million forsecurity at the Jewish Religious Community (DMT). - No one should have to be afraid to exercise their rel […]
- Letter from a 17-year old Jewish boyAftenposten today published an op-ed from “Daniel,” a 17-year old Norwegian student who happens to be Jewish. He feels surrounded by antisemitic attitudes, ranging from comments by a fellow video game player (“just pretend they’re Jews when you aim at them”), to the inevitable “so you support killing babies?” when he mentions he supports Israel, to the inabi […]
- PalCom action ‘small and unsuccessful’lifted from miff.no Palestine Committee’s action was “small and unsuccessful” Only a small number of provocateurs from Palestine Committee participated in a store action against Israel’s Dead Sea products in Oslo last Tuesday (May 16) evening. The police were notified in advance and got them quickly away from the place. By Conrad Myrland Published: 16/05/201 […]
- VG’s Astrid Meland attacks Pal activists and media for unethical focus on IsraelAstrid Meland published an OpEd in VG on May 14, which currently is not online. MIFF has published a review article online, from where I have lifted the following: Astrid Meland believes Israel’s critics in Norway are victim of a collective neurosis, where you turn a blind eye to much worse breaches of human rights by other states. - Unethical focus on Isra […]
- Stand up, stand up – for the Hebrew MamitaIf I were a man, I would seriously consider inviting this lady out for dinner. Since I am not, I can only say – WAY TO GO, SISTER! linkscolor = "000000"; highlightscolor = "888888"; backgroundcolor = "FFFFFF"; channel = "none"; […]
- Oopsie – Norwegian academia has become synonymous with academic anti-Semitismlifted from ynetnews.com This is the cost of allowing a guy like Galtung to roam free – regardless of round rejection of his recent remarks, this was by no means the first time the ‘mad professor’ let it rip, as is evident by the details of this op-ed. Why did not the Norwegian intelligentia react at an earlier stage? Did they perhaps agree with the previous […]
- Gloves are off: MIFF (With Israel for Peace) reports the PalCom to the policeLifted from miff.no What can I say? Bravo! MIFF is doing an incredibly important job and luckily their hard efforts are rewarded with a healthy growth in their memberships. Maybe readers of this blog could be entreated to find a way of supporting MIFF? By the way, I have no relation to MIFF, personally or professionally – this is just a courtesy call to reco […]
- What Karsten Tveit’s award really signifiesOdd Karsten Tveit wins the Gullruten lifetime award for his propaganda news coverage from the Middle East. When it comes to correspondents in the Middle East sent by NRK (the governmental broadcasting organization financed by a surcharge on owning a television), it’s a bit like watching the Eurovision song contest: you can endlessly discuss who is worse. Bu […]
Archive for November, 2009
AAUP opposes NTNU boycott campaign
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) opposes the proposed academic boycott at NTNU – here. The AAUP defines itself so: … to advance academic freedom and shared governance, to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education, and to ensure higher education’s contribution to the common good. Norwegian University of Science and Technology...
Norway – not always so tolerant
NTNU’s university newspaper Universitetsavisa just published an article on this site under the title “You are being observed“. The accompanying picture is of a assembly of people carrying Israeli flags. Whether students at NTNU on the bais of this will perceive Sophie and me as being “good” or “evil” I do not know. Then...
NTNU academic: “Israeli lobbymachine reacts swiftly and purposefully…”
The fear of jewish conspiracy lives on. Harry’s Place, a UK blog, posts on NTNU and tells of how Edly Dollar of the Weizmann Institute writes a letter to Trond Andresen at the Department of Engineering and Cybernetics, NTNU. Trond Andresen puts the letter up on his blog under the telling title:”Israeli lobbymachine reacts with swift...
Kjetil Wiedswang on Norway – Israel relations
(Originally published on October 27th – republished on request on November 5th) Mr.Kjetil Wiedswang is no fool. A prominent and respected Norwegian journalist in the employ of Dagens Næringsliv, a well-reputed business daily, he can often seize the attention of the country’s elites (read more by Mr.Wiedswang here and here). On October 24th this...
NTNU rector wins support of Mr.Bassam Hussein
Most of NTNU rector Digernes’ blogposts receive zero comments (much like the ones here at NIJ). The post on the seminar series on Israel however has received not less than sixty. Most of the comments condemn the seminars. Quite a few of them condemn rector Digernes as well. Yet rector Digernes is not without...
ADL: “Counter academic boycotts of Israel”
ADL CALLS ON EUROPEAN UNION TO COUNTER ACADEMIC BOYCOTTS OF ISRAEL New York, NY, November 4, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today urged the European Union to disqualify any university that adopts an anti-Israel academic boycott from participating in the E.U.’s student exchange program, Erasmus. The board of Norwegian University of...
Dagens Næringsliv contaminated by chinese whisper
Despite this unfortunate affair, DN remains one of Norway’s finest newspapers and Mr.Wiedswang one of our sharpest journalists. The only mistake Mr.Wiedswang made was to believe the information provided to him by his colleagues. In the climate offered by the Norwegian debate on the Middle East, this is not advisable. Below; letter from Manfred...
Letter from former head of British universities to NTNU chair
Why are so many prominent Norwegians so keen on ganging up on precisely Israel? They are shaming our nation and many Norwegians do not understand what for. Foreigners are even more puzzled. Here is a yet another letter to NTNU’s board: 04/11/2009 Dear M/s Arnstad, I write to you as a former vice chancellor...
NTNU rector asks board not to boycott
NTNU rector Digernes has been largely silent about the call for boycott, which the university board is to discuss on November 12th. Both Haaretz and Jerusalem Post have tried to tease a comment on the issue out of him, but rector Digernes has remained as silent as the sphinx. Apart from publicly endorsing a...
The conspicuous silence of NTNU rector Digernes
NTNU is making regular appearances in the newspapers these days. The Norwegian Press Agency (NTB) has written an article on the issue which has been published in both Verdens Gang (Norway’s largest daily) and Dagbladet. Foreign newspapers are picking up as well these days. Here, from Jpost, starting with a bit of the basics:...
Obama disappoints Akersgata
Akersgata – Norway’s Fleet Street – appears to be disappointed over President Obama. The cartoon above is from Verdens Gang, Norway’s largest daily, but it is hardly original. What we see is a boisterous star of David threatening to buck Obama right out of the saddle. The headline below says: Obama’s round-turn. The editorial...
NTNU boycott-call rebuked by scholars worldwide
Most Norwegians are decent people who do not go looking for trouble. We do however get led astray sometimes. At NTNU a very vocal, well-organized group of Israel-critics have been working hard for a long time in order to bring about an academic boycott of Israel. They have called for a boycott and organized...
NTNU Professors sign against boycott
Most Norwegians do not obsess too much about Israel. Many hold favorable views of the little democracy. Israel’s enemies meanwhile, number quite a few zealots. This creates a situation where criticism of Israel usually ring louder than support of her. Every once in a while however, decent Norwegians (the majority) feel they have had...
Drexel University academic writes letter to Torbjørn Digernes
NTNU in general and rector Torbjørn Digernes is getting a lot of international attention these days. Here is a letter from Emilie S.Passow, associate professor at Drexel university. To the Director of the University of Trondheim, I am appalled by this breach of academic freedom and the descent into vicious anti semitism that the...
Rector of Haifa university to NTNU rektor Digernes
Press Release November 1, 2009 Rector to rector: University of Haifa turns to Trondheim University to withdraw boycott motion Rector of the University of Haifa, Prof. Yossi Ben-Artzi, has approached his counterpart at the Trondheim university – the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) - upon hearing of a resolution to declare an...
NTNU chairwoman opposes boycott
The NTNU board meets on November 12th to discuss a possible academic boycott against Israel. Marit Ernstad, the chairwoman, says to Ynetnews that she opposes the move. She also says that the proponents of a boycott cannot be defined as pro-Palestinian or left-wing. Which sounds odd, to a Norwegian. Merit Ernstad, who chairs the...
Robin Shepherd on NTNU’s boycott plans
Robin Shepherd is a prominent academic. He has picked up on NTNU’s plans to boycott Israel on his blog: Norway’s University of Trondheim could become the first European university to adopt a formal academic boycott of Israel if a vote by the university’s board on November 12 goes through. The situation is particularly worrying...
Idag.no: “Academic boycott of Israel?”
Why boycott, of all countries, precisely Israel? Many people do not understand why, but NTNU will discuss exactly such a measure at the next board meeting on November 12th. A recent article at Idag.no, an online newspaper, picks up on the story: linkscolor = "000000"; highlightscolor = "888888"; backgroundcolor = "FFFFFF"; channel = "none";