Isak Meyer Goldmann, originally from Poland, sought refuge in Hammerfest and was shipped to Auschwitz and murdered there.
Isak Meyer Goldmann, came originally from Poland and lived in P. H. Mansikas house in Hammerfest until he was arrested by Norwegian police on October 26, 1942 and deported to Auschwitz via Oslo. Isak Meyer Goldmann was gassed to death in Auschwitz on December 1, 1942.
This is all the Norwegian public ever will know of him, and even this little resume of his life is hard enough to find – most Norwegians are unaware of the little interactive map that shows the extent of Jewish life in Norway before WW2 on the Holocaust Center web pages.
Thankfully, Isak Meyer is not forgotten by his loved ones, who now are planning a trip to Hammerfest to encourage this Northern town to include also his name on the WWII memorial, on June 23 next year.
It is not only Hammerfest of the Northern towns, that has forgotten about their Jewish townspeople;
The small town of Berlevåg expelled Phillip Philipsohn, who was born in Poland on August 10 in 1897. He was a construction worker, was arrested on October 26 1942 and deported to Auschwitz via Oslo. He was murdered in Auschwitz in January 1943. The same fate befell his sister, Esther Rosa, who lived in Trondheim.
Ruth Sakolsky was only 2 years old when she and her mother Rebekka were arrested by Norwegian police in their home in Rektor Quigstads street 17 in Tromsø. They arrived in Auschwitz on March 3, 1943, and were gassed to death immediately.
Isak and Eva Shotland lived in Hvedings street 3 in Harstad, and both were Norwegian citizens. Isak was born on March 20 1907, while Eva was born on November 1 1910. They were arrested in Harstad and sent to Auschwitz, where they arrived in 1943, and immediately murdered.
15 Jews lived in Narvik. They were all rounded up by Norwegian police and arrived at Bredtvedt gaol in Oslo on December 2 1942. The business leader David Fischer was among the 15 persons. An elderly couple was left behind in Narvik and the local police authorities applied for a pardon on behalf of the couple, but the central police authorities in Oslo turned it down. David Fischer was murdered in Auschwitz.
Moses Schapiro lived in Skolegata 5, in Mosjøen. When he was 55 years old, he was arrested by Norwegian police,and deported to Poland via Oslo, and was murdered in Auschwitz.
Jewish dishes on Norwegian plates
There is an interesting cookbook – Jewish Dishes on Norwegian plates – that details the culinary cultural heritage and practices of Norwegian Jews. Aside from delicious recipes, it also tells the story of Norwegian Jews, those who merely traveled through and those who came to stay.
One photo shows how Jewish fishermen (probably from other countries?) came together to celebrate Passover during the famous Lofot fishing season, the great cod fishing season that lasts from January to April.
It sort of sends your mind spinning.
Lets hope Tova Rotlevy-Cohen, who is the grandchild of Isak Meyer Goldmann, will find that many are willing to accompany her to pay homage to our dead fellow countrymen. In some traditions, they say that you are not truly dead until people forget to remember you.
WHO WAS GRANDDAD?
Finnmark Dagblad 2011 08 27 p 14-17
Helle Østvik
Not Online
Summary.
This is an article on Isak Meyer Goldmann, a Jewish merchant in the Arctic city of Hammerfest, who perished in the Shoah in 1942. Surprisingly, he had rescued the lives of his family members residing in Poland, through financing them in order to travel to then British Palestine. This was how his daughter Michla and granddaughter Tova (by now Tova Rotlevy-Cohen) survived.
Tova, by now 77, and a resident of Los Angeles, recently visited Hammerfest, to her disappointment her grandfather was not listed among the dead of WW2 at the official memorial.
She met with Mayor Alf E. Jacobsen (Labor) and Mrs. Eli Bolle (86) who remembers the business of Mr. Goldmann.
Quote:
“From his shop, we could hear the tones of classical music. He used to play records on his gramophone inside his shop. It was particular, and we liked it well. The sound of classical music from the clothes shop at the market was a daily occurrence”.
On June 23rd of 2012, Mrs. Rotlevy-Cohen will attempt to arrange a memorial event in Hammerfest over her grandfather, with visitors from Poland, Israel and the USA.
Let’s face it, most Norwegians (or at least most of the elites) are not sorry about the deaths of these Jews.
They are sorry that Hitler did not finish the job, and are now counting on their beloved Hamas and Hezbollah to do it.
but we can try to make them remember?
I wonder if the Norwegian state will pay compensations to Mrs. Rotlevy-Cohen for the brutal murder of her grandfather? I wonder what happened to his shop, his property, his belongings? I mean, just as somebody determined that his life was dispensable, did they also steal his life’s work?
EricR,
I think you are overstating, even though I think that Norwegians often seem to treat Jews with great insensitivity, which is exacerbated when one considers there are only 1,000 Jewish people in the entire country.
Such a shame the elites care so much about consensus that they find different views as pathological.
Most Norwegians today do not see or understand the connection between the harassment of the Jews in Norway, the holocaust and the threats to the Jews in Israel today.
Dear McG,
this is great! I have told you it before, when we asked why the jews where killed in the 2 world war at school, the response was that it has always been so much trouble with them. When I read what this proff at NTNU says about DMT Oslo, I was supriced. Is it odd that DMT Oslo supports Israel? That the people that lost their family in 2 WW wants to get some respect? Are they just a bitter lemon, all of them sending hate mails to this paranoid proff?
Think some people have to start to care for more than just their own ego!
The fear people must have felt in Norway under the 2 WW, is impossible to grab. I have spoken to nursers that works with old people, they says that they have to be very careful because the old people have a lot of flash backs.
“I think you are overstating”
No, Eric D. I am not.
And what I said in that post about Norway is true of people throughout almost all of Europe.
I don’t actually care what happened to the Jewish property in Norway during and after WW2. Those that managed to profit from stealing it, may they enjoy their good luck.
It is the loss of life through brutal racially motivated murder, in which the Norway took part, that cannot be undone. The only thing I’m asking is the full recognition of responsibility to these enormous crimes by Norway (they are actually called crimes against humanity).
It is the crystal clear declaration of it that I’m missing. Until you do that, don’t come to us (Israel) to preach morality. You see, it has a bad taste. Actually very bad.
To Stefan
It is the loss of life through brutal racially motivated murder, in which the Norway took part, that cannot be undone. The only thing I’m asking is the full recognition of responsibility to these enormous crimes by Norway (they are actually called crimes against humanity).
I can’t understand why we did not have school play at school where we could have played the drama it must have been when the jewish school children where collected. Its not hard to explain fear.
Helo, I am Norwegian, and I must say I am surprised about the generalization in here.
“Let’s face it, most Norwegians (or at least most of the elites) are not sorry about the deaths of these Jews.
They are sorry that Hitler did not finish the job, and are now counting on their beloved Hamas and Hezbollah to do it.”
I really hope You do not face it, because it is really not true. Most norwegians are appauled about how norwegian police and authorities treated the jewish people before and during ww2.
However, it is a long time ago, and most norwegians think of ww2 as history. We aim to treat every person equal, with dignity and respect today, regardless of race, religion or personal beliefs.
What I think may be offensive to You all, is the fact that todays norwegians probably are the least religious people in Europe, and are a bit tired of all the wars and arguments that is a direct product of religious movements, not because of the gods, but because of the personal power inducted to the preachers of religions.
The mix of politics, nations and religious beliefs is what I personally is most afraid of.
I believe in democracy, and truly religious freedom within a nations boundary is essential.
I am naive, maybe, but antisemittic, I am not.
nobody has said you are an anti-Semite, we merely document Norway’s strange relationship with Jews and Israel. Since this is a free country, I will allow robust language for talkbacks as long as they do not conflict with Norwegian Law. Comparing by what goes on in mainstream media, we are a bunch of saints here.
By the way, we have no particular religious or political platform, the only task here is to document what passes for normal language and attitude to Jews and Israel in Norwegian media, among our so called elites and regular man and woman on the street.