Norway, Israel and the Jews
“Anti-Semitism” in Norway is the most recent, most comprehensive and well-documented work on contemporary anti-Semitism in Norway on the market today. Anti-Semitism in Norway The recently published book ”Anti-Semitism in Norway” includes updated and translated chapters from “Behind the Humanitarian Mask” (2008). Both are edited by Israeli academic Manfred Gerstenfeld, an accomplished author and...
Finnish Tundra Tabloids has referred to Sidsel Wold’s interview with Manfred Gerstenfeld, where the former answers her own questions and the latter only gets to speak for twenty seconds, as a”spike in high profile instances of ridiculous journalistic tomfoolery“. This is perhaps a bit strict. Sidsel Wold might very well be speaking the truth when...
Israeli academic Manfred Gerstenfeld has written extensively on anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in the Nordic countries. He suggests that we have not really got a level playing-field up here, and that arguments explaining Israel’s actions are obfuscated or ignored while the Palestinian cause is doted upon. Now recently Sidsel Wold, a journalist employed by State...
NRK journalist Tormod Strand has uncovered anti-Semitism among Norwegian muslims. This has attracted a lot of attention. People are nodding their heads saying “Yes, the muslims, fierce anti-Semites, ikke sant…” Now DagenMagazinet reports that Israeli academic Manfred Gerstenfeld, editor of the book on Nordic anti-Semitism Behind the Humanitarian Mask, is claiming that Norwegian Jews...
(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...
Haaretz notifies us that Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is critisizing Norway. This puzzles some Norwegians while it makes other Norwegians extremely angry. The puzzled go: “What, Hamsun again? We’ve discussed him all our lives?” The angry go… well, go and read Aftenposten or have a look at our favorite Haaretz talkback: If Lieberman...
Norwegian author Knut Hamsun won the Nobel prize for litterature in 1920. He suffered terribly throughout his childhood, and grew up on tales of the starvation the English blockade had caused during the Napoleonic wars. He was often sick and always destitute and at times suicidal. He went to America – twice – and witnessed...
Aggression and violence does have its own, wicked charm. Everyone who has once enjoyed the feel of testosterone and adrenalin surging through his veins can testify to the “pull” of this ancient, chemical cocktail. Yet the duty of civilized man is to rise above such urges and devotions, to utilize his mental faculties to...
Norway is a small nation. Only approximately 3 percent of the world’s population knows Norway exists at all. Now, Norway is learning the hard way that all PR is not good PR. Acts of anti-Semitism, unchecked Israelbashing and the arrogance of our chattering classes has started to provide Norway with the sort of international...
Something very strange has recently happened. The article above, which is based on an interview, has been switched for the article below in a non-event most people will not even notice. Except for one thing: TV2′s original article above, by journalist Fredrik Græsvik, has been taken to the PFU (Norwegian media complaints hearing) by...
Here’s one piece of news from late March which escaped us at the time. Source. Taking into consideration the upcoming Græsvik vs. Gerstenfeld PFU hearing, it is still of interest today. Vaksdal challenges the foreign minister In a written question to the foreign minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, Progress Party representative Øyvind Vaksdal asks what...
On May 20th, seven Norwegian news sources run an NTB (Norwegian News Agency) article on how TV2 is taken to the The Norwegian Press Complaints Commission (PFU). According to Webavisen, a Norwegian news service, the news sources are: Demokraten Lokalt, Avisa Nordland, Stjørdalens blad, Finnmarken Lokalt, Bergens Tidende and Siste Lokalt. Before reading any further,...
The Tundra Tabloids picks up on Manfred Gerstenfeld’s latest op-ed to the Jerusalem Post, which concerns Minister of Finance Kristin Halvorsen and her participation in a march on January 8th (Covered here, here and here). Gerstenfeld’s op-ed is in reply to an op-ed by the Norwegian ambassador to Israel, who claims that “the minister took...
There are only about 1500 Norwegian jews but they do tend to get, unwillingly, pulled into events which are not of their making. We find one such example on the webpages of the Palestine-committee from April 2nd. Building on Hilde Henriksen Waage’s allegations of “something similar to a smear campaign” being conducted against Norway in...
On March 1st the Israeli political scientist Manfred Gerstenfeld from the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs was misquoted by 20 Norwegian newspapers for saying that “Norway is the most anti-Semitic country in Europe” and “Norwegians are unintelligent and barbaric”. These misquotes still circulate in the Norwegian media. You can find more about these misquotes here....
Norway does not get a lot of attention from the outside world. We’re just like New Zealand with more snow. Things more or less work and we coexist peacefully with our neighbors so there isn’t much to write about. For example, Norway is a member of NATO and has been allied to the USA for more...
Manfred Gerstenfeld, the editor of Behind the Humanitarian Mask, a book on modern anti-Semitism in the Nordic countries, was misquoted in 20 Norwegian newspapers on March 1st following an interview with Fredrik Græsvik in TV2. It was alleged that Gerstenfeld had said that Norwegians are “barbaric and unintelligent” and that “Norway is the most...
On March 1st Manfred Gerstenfeld was quoted in 20 Norwegian newspapers for saying that “Norway is the most anti-semitic country in Europe” and “Norwegians are barbaric and uncivilized”. The quotes were based on an interview in TV2 by journalist Fredrik Græsvik. Naturally, the Norwegian people reacted with disgust. Did this affect the perceptions of...
In his book “Behind the Humanitarian Mask” Manfred Gerstenfeld claims Norway is one of the most anti-semitic countries in Europe. During an interview with TV2 the good doctor has also alledgedly claimed that Norwegians are a barbaric and unintelligent people. I googled Gerstenfeld to see how Norwegians have reacted to this. What I found was a lot of angry Norwegian bloggers. One of them is Simen,...
19 Norwegian media sources today report on how Israeli political scientist and author Manfred Gerstenfeld condemns Norway for being the most anti-semitic country in Europe. Excerpt below from Verdens Gang, one of Norway’s larger daily’s. “In an interview with TV 2 he (Manfred Gerstenfeld) lashes out against Norway. The criticism is delivered as Norway...