First an admission – one Norwegian newspaper did report on this incident – the Christian daily Dagen. Excellent as though it is, it is hardly a paper read by your average Norwegian, so for the majority of Norwegians, who rely on NRK, Dagbladet, VG and Aftenposten for coverage of domestic affairs, this one has slipped under the radar.
Jewish funeral procession “attacked” in Oslo
When the Jewish man Gabriel Philip Stiris (91) was buried in Oslo early in december, an unknown man appeared and shouted «fuck the jews» and behaved in a manner that was threatening.
- We were shocked when this happened, and have never heard of anything like this, his son Morten Stiris tells Dagen.
He was about to shovel earth on the coffin when the unknown man expressed his hatred of Jews. The man stood outside the fence of the Jewish cemetery. Maybe he had discovered the obituary in the newspaper Aftenposten, and knew that a Jewish burial would take place at this time?ChaseThe man raised his left arm to a Nazi salute, and he seemed threatening. This was a very deliberate action, my father was the only Jew who was buried that day, says Morten Stiris.
Several persons who participated in the funeral procession ran after the man who had white skin color. But he was too far ahead, and got away without being identified.
This harrowing incident took place at the Jewish cemetery at Østre Gravlund in Oslo on Monday 5 December.Escaped to Sweden
Gabriel Philip Stiris was a young medical student in Oslo in 1942, and chose to go into hiding after the anti-Jewish decrees were issued in October of that year.He was helped by one of his teachers who got him admitted to the hospital.
A few days later, the Jewish student was picked up from the hospital by Per Faye-Hansen, founder of the Caramel Institute. First, Gabriel was led to a temporary hiding place in a flower shop at Majorstuen, where he met other Jews who also sought help. In secret, Faye-Hansen managed to arrange the escape to Sweden for this group. First, they were sent to Asker and hidden in a house, before they reached the Swedish border.
A younger brother of Gabriel was imprisoned and sent on freight ship “Donau” to Auschwitz, where he immediately was gassed to death.
On 3 June 2007 Per Faye-Hansen was posthumously awarded the distinguished honor “righteous among nations” by the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. His daughter, Gro Wenske, accepted the award on behalf of his father, who died in 1992.Felt the hatred
My father was sick the last year and a half of his life. In recent years, my father felt that much of the anti-Semitism that flourished in Norway between the two world wars again raised its ugly head in Norway today. He felt it in his backbone, like a cold wind, says Morten Stiris.
Together with his brother, Tom, he wrote the oped “Anti-Semitism still exists” in aftenposten.no (December 22) about the shocking incident they experienced in the cemetery.
“The family has obviously taken this very hard. This is simply harassment of the worst kind. To desecrate a funeral procession, and especially during the burial rituals, harassment at its worst, the sons write.They say that in spite of the special committees formed to prevent anti-Semitism, adequate steps to stop the tendency have not been taken.
“Now it has advanced to a stage where funerals are ” attacked “. We do not know if this abominable act was perpetrated by one individual or if he acted on behalf of others. We ask that the government engages even stronger and more actively participate in the struggle against anti-Semitism, says Morten and Tom Stiris.
Online DebateThere has been a lively debate online in Aftenposten after their post was published.
“No, there is practically no anti-Semitism, but there is plenty of Zionist moaning and lies,” said one.
Another person writes that anti-Semitism must be directed to against Semitic people, something the jews are not .
“They are a religious gang, not a people, just like Christians and Muslims, he claims.
For the bereaved family, may we only add HaMakom yenachem et’chem b’toch shar avay’lay Tzion vee’Yerushalayim as well as our profound sorrow that their mourning and funeral was marred by this incident – who could possibly want to add a heavy stone to the burden of mourning?
For the Norwegian society, we urge awakening. Horrors start with words, but end with threats and violence.
This is really to painfull to read about. Its not Norway at all, its not my homeland of saftey where people can be happy and live free. Please contact PST and the police, we really can’t have this hate in Norway.
No more jew hate ever in Norway!
How can anyone in good conscience blame the Norwegians and their values for this? After all Norwegians are really, really nice people. Just ask almost any Norwegian, and you will learn that Norway actually likes Jews, even Zionists, its just that they are always moaning, complaining, demanding rights and the right to live and die in peace. To make matters worse, these moaning Jews refuse to roll over and commit suicide in Israel in flat contradiction to Norwegian government policy and prefer to build an open society. Really what option does Norway have but to open and maintain a dialogue with Hamas? These Jews just make everything worse and it makes no difference whether they are dead or alive as the article makes clear. Once you recognize this it is clear that you owe Norway an apology for this article.
@herbert deutsch
1) According to your post nothing ever happen in Norway.
2) In 1948 five arab armies gave Israel one week of life. In 2012 there are still people like you talking about “suicide”. May be you know things I ignore. All I know is that Israel, a country at war and without mineral resources, is deposing five times the amount of patents Norway, a country in peace, twice bigger, does. Forget their researchers Nobel laureates…. Forget the Jewish diasporas contribution to the human advancement…
3) In 1948 there were 120.000 Arabs in Israel. They are 1.500.000 today. And one can find Arabo-muslims, economically and politically refugees in Europe, from all over the world except from Israel.
4) The Arabs occupy peoples since the 7th century. The nature of their rule never changes: ethnical and religious cleansing. The Copts were a majority in 1950, the Chaldeans (non Arabs, non Muslims) a majority in Iraq in 1925 (British census) less than 1% today. The Jews use to live all over the M.E. and the Maghreb long before the arab invasion Zero today.
Keep on lecturing Israel and the Jews, Sir!
Norway does not merit to be called a country of “humans”. How could a half-fascist backward, generally primitive, simple and simplistic, institutionally racist (in its Jew-hating variety) country could be called human? That’s my honest opinion, if anyone likes it or not.
Oh – a tiny addendum in my defence – influential Israeli-American journalist Caroline Glick (The Jerusalem Post) thinks and agrees with my assertion that Norway is antisemitic.
In defense of Herbert, I think you will find if you read his other talkback, that he was merely being ironic here
correctioN ” I keep scratching my head on this one. Just to be clear “scratching one’s head” is slang for bewilderment and NOT meant to suggest head lice.
TYPOS AND GRAMMAR CORRECTED:
Yes McGonagall– ironic or really sarcastic. How anyone could think I was defending Norway is beyond me. I keep scratching my head on this one. Just to be clear “scratching one’s head” is slang for bewilderment and NOT meant to suggest head lice. For whatever reason, the fact that so many intelligent people misunderstood my post suggests to me that Norwegian society lacks any sense of subtly or that my sarcasm does not really translate well. I suggest people read again what I wrote and the absurd balances presented.
At any rate I wish all a happy and healthy New Year
Tintin, I agree with the Prof. He has, I am certain, written tongue in cheek as we say.
How lucky and fortunate I was to have met with Per Faye Hansen so many years ago in Oslo. I was unaware of the help he gave Jews during the war. I was more than aware however, of his total backing to Israel. Unlike even some Jewish supporters of Israel. He was an all weather friend friend of Israel and I am not surprised that he has been awarded the distinction from Yad VaShem.
lets’s hope that 2012, will be a happy, healthy. prosperous and avove all, a peaceful year for all humanity.
One person does not a country make. However, the failure to report this event can be condemned.
Happy New Year to all who post here, and to the administrators especially.
Its the last day of 2011 and all I see to day in Norway is happy people opening doors for children when they sing and giving candy as a tanks.
I do hope that 2012 will be the year norwegians open the door for the past and can take in the jews that has to long been left out in the cold. So that we can be a complete secular democracy.
That is my wish for in 2012!
http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B8deparagrafen
[...] From Norway, Israel and the Jews: [...]
[...] From Norway, Israel and the Jews: [...]
[...] Læs mere om det her [...]
I want to know the identity of this “individual”.
I can imagine if this had been a Moslem ceremony, the king would be apologising to the Saudis and all the Islamic world. Of course, all the media would have reported it and all the usual elitists would have condemned it. But of course, it was only a Jewish funeral. not quite the same is it?
It says all it needs to describe the Norwegian media and elitists in today’s Norway. what a disgrace, but expected.
I don’t know if Norway is more antisemitic than most countries these days (they do have some very good pro-Israel organisations though). But I do know that it’s not really good news to write about jews being harassed. A little to the south, in Denmark, no mass media publications have written about the Chanukah Menorah being destroyed in Copenhagen’s city hall square last Wednesday: http://collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=17790&alias=a-run-in-with-occupy-copenhagen
A while ago someone hung a banner in the front of a mosque in Denmark. The papers and tv couldn’t stop talking about it and even though nothing was destroyed, they all called it a case of “property damage”, an “attack” and a “hate crime”. The banner read: “For Denmark’s Freedom”.
But when something happens to the Jewish community who have been an important part of the society for hundreds and hundreds of years, it not news worthy.
I guess it’s just one of those things…
I am sorry to hear that also in Denmark, the jewish community cannot celebrate its holidays or rites without interference.
And now you have a very silly FM, the one who thinks that just because he holds the presidency of the EU (whatever that is, I though that with Mr. Rumpoy as president, that would sort of be it?), that he can hold Israel to another standard than what he wants to hold other nations? What on earth were you Danes thinking when you voted for this coalition – I nearly fainted laughing when I read that FM Søvndal wants to prevent Danish troops participate in combat or other operations to prevent breaches on international Law.
“What on earth were you Danes thinking when you voted for this coalition”
O my, that is a very, very good question!
The only “good” thing to say is that they have the opinion polls against them already. And the difference between the two coalitions was under 10.000 votes! So hopefully it will not be too long before they have to give up and hold an election again.
And speaking of our dear Søvndal, him and his party SF was supporting the “Boycot Israel” campaign for years, but a short time before the elections that looked like it would make him FM, he pulled himself out of if, claiming that he didn’t know his name was listed by the organisation…
I remember when the Danish cartoon was printed about Mohammed. Danes cried for the world to support them. I do, in memory of the late King Chrisdtian, tho’ I don’t but bacon, thank you. Every FM, thinks it will be easy to affirm their intention to boycott Israel. There are so many other countries around the world that Europe today is just a spent force.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, Korea (BRICK) is worth more in the long run with the USA, Canada and Australia (New Zealand too) than the idiotic EU that looks up it’s own arse. I do hope that the Danes don’t try to imitate Norway and Sweden.
i have a problem with Michael’s reporting of the destruction of the Menorah in Copenhagen and the implication that it was ant-Semitic. Here is what the article says:
“Chanukah and occupy Copenhagen
“While the indoor festivities were going on, outside on Rådhuspladsen, the main square, a person who had been affiliated with the occupy Copenhagen movement knocked down and broke the beautiful, 15 foot menorah.
“Apparently he was angered that the police had earlier that day removed them and dismantled their camp which was on the square where the menorah lighting was scheduled to take place. Whether they were removed because of the Chanukah or not, is unknown, but this occupyist took justice in his own hands.
“Although there were other members of the occupy camp that were deeply apologetic and helped with trying to fix it, the damage was done and it could not be used. Rather unfortunate, as this year for the very first time, the police and Copenhagen’s municipality had agreed to allow the menorah to remain standing on the main square, for the duration of Chanukah.”
I don’t think that any objective reading suggests this is anti-Semitic. Indeed, to call or suggest that every incident that may effect Jews is anti–Semitic really cheapens the concept of ant-Semitism
Yes Herbert. A Tory MP, Zac Goldsmith ompared the news media reporting with Aushwitz here in the UK. With his Jewish ancestry, he should have thought first and humbled himself, apologised for his cheapening of the Holocaust. It seems any petty item mowadays is compared to the Holocaust, genocide, even the expression of “petty Hitler.” Disgusting.
The impression I get of the jewish environment in Norway is that they have very many analysis that they belive in. Some of them are really interesting, but others are a just conspiration. Its very difficult to discus this analysis objective if one are not a insider and also inside the group is there levels. Its not a open discussion. My way of looking on this is that it has happen to much to this group and that they need to protect them self.
Its really hard to see the norwegian media making the image of the judes more stereotypical and this just give more analysis in the jewish environment so that the distance between the jews and the norwegian people increases. This is very hard to accept in a modern democracy that Norway is. In my eyes this is the only thing that makes it ok that the jewsih environment in Norway are dramatic now, but I hope they calm down and start to think solutions.
My hope for the jews in Norway is that they give up the analysis and just demand religious freedom in general and report all anti-Semitic to the police. I do belive that in 10 years things will be better and more normal again.
Sorry I just belive that the jewish culture is so much more than making analysis about people that want to harm one and talk about the past. I just belive its a way to live a happy and free life. Would it have survived if not anywhere?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpljlnn6m64
To Norwegian: I am not sure what you are saying, but your response seems thoughtful. Perhaps you might type it in Norwegian and then run it through a Google translator to English. I may not agree but will be able to respond. I am sorry I don’t read Norweigan
Hello Herbert,
my message to the Jewish community in Norway is that they must focus on the rights that give religious freedom in Norway today. This is to keep the culture alive. My perception is that they are fighting an honorable, but hopeless struggle against the Norwegian political system of protection against anti-Semitic. In my eyes anti-Semitic and bullying always will exist because both come from people with mental disorders. A society needs to register and combat hate crime always and in this fight is it not important whether one are a Jew, one are a person who needs protection.
When it comes to the Jews in Norway, I am concerned about the way they communicate public in Norway. They have a focus on the Muslims that are affected by the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. At the present time we have organized opposition to the Muslims that have elements of Nazism in itself. And then Muslims have taken this as a prove that the Jews are Nazis, and call them self for the new Jews in Europa. This makes everything odd because more and more people start to belive that the Muslims does meet hate at the same level as the Jew did before the 2 ww, and they don’t talk about the Jew hate in Hamas. So the Jews again become the evil power in the public Norway. Its hard to accept that the Norwegian once again is going back into old mistakes!
I just hope the Jews in Norway get out of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B50RUXbs-8&feature=related
I don’t know how they will live in the future because its hard to change ore find new ways to get to a new level.
http://www.amazon.com/Who-Stole-Cheese-Ilene-Hochberg/dp/0762412364
Tanks Herbert for letting me know about the Google translator : ) Take care and pleas continue to see good things in McG and Martin, we all need help from friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBDF04fQKtQ
Norwegian: I acknowledge your points, but I think that the main issue is that Norwegian society is anti-Semitic. It is not that it is ant-Zionist. I am not even sure how you separate the 2 concepts. How it will end? Who knows?
The translator is great even if not perfect. I am familiar with the book and liked it
: ) That’s cool Herbert : )
Hope of a wake up in Norway and very many people are working for it, so in the end justice will win as it always do : )
Pleas join in : )
This terrible episode was in Norwegian news, get the facts right please! And there are many Norwegians that supports Israel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP2sv2hfk-k&feature=related
There are many Norwegians fighting anti-semmitism. The video shows high school students turning their backs to a speaker from a neonazi group during a political happening.
Anonymous You’ll forgive me for asking how such a person came to address a high school group in the first place. It surely can’t be about freedom of speech. Compare this to Prof Alan Dershowitz being told that he could address any subject he wanted when he spoke at Norwegian universities so long as he did not defend Israel.