Lifted from VG. Applause to Skartveit for this eminent oped The great betrayal Synagogue OSLO (AP) We were unable to protect our Jewish compatriots during the war. And today we are unable to give them the security they need. Do we simply not care? OpEd by Hanne Skartveit In the street where I lived for...
Norway, Israel and the Jews
- The Norwegian Government’s hypocrisy re-exposed: “the most evil company in the world” is the second largest share holder in “Norsk Hydro”The Norwegian Government’s hypocrisy re-exposed: “the most evil company in the world” is the second largest share holder in “Norsk Hydro” Brazilian Vale, which Norwegian Hydro has a tight partnership with, only accepts the bare minimum of social responsibility, according to a new poll where Greenpeace ranked the Norwegian Hydro partner as the “the world’s mo […]
- VG’s Hanne Skartveit: the great betrayalLifted from VG. Applause to Skartveit for this eminent oped The great betrayal Synagogue OSLO (AP) We were unable to protect our Jewish compatriots during the war. And today we are unable to give them the security they need. Do we simply not care? OpEd by Hanne Skartveit In the street where I lived for some years, just outside Washington, DC, we had a neighb […]
- One week after PM’s reassurance that nobody should live in fear in Norway – Justice Minister Grete Faremo to reassess Jewish community’s security needsLifted from Dagbladet, but also mentioned in other media. Faremo to reassess Synagogue security needs – Is in constant contact with police and the Police Security Services. The Minister of Justice Grete Faremo (Labour) is reviewing the safety precautions in place for the Synagogue in Oslo, and is in constant contact with the police and the police and the sec […]
- Rockets over Israel go untoldWhile the Norwegian media rightly now focuses on the ongoing atrocities in Syria, and even our FM has felt compelled to politely tell the naughty Assad regime off for the continuing blood bath, one may perhaps be sympathetic to editors’s decision to not cover news from Israel. However, since coverage of Israel continues to be tendentious and one-eyed, one mu […]
- Norwegian support for Israel at record highLifted from Vårt Land Record Norwegian support to Israel More Norwegians buy Israeli goods, provide financial support and join the pro-Israel organizations. By: Lise Marit Kalstad and Olav Solvang Norway set a new record in the import of goods from Israel in 2011. In the last year Norway purchased Israeli goods for NOK 722 million, the corresponding number f […]
- Norwegian People’s Aid failure to report on SyriaAt a time when the rest of the world are slowly, ever so gradually starting to notice the atrocities that go on in Syria (but also many other places on our beautiful planet), one would have thought that the Norwegian People’s Aid would at least have mentioned the word Syria, somewhere, anywhere, on its web pages. But nope, not a word, yet NRK, who cannot fin […]
- The PMs Holocaust Memorial Day speech in full“Dear all, This year marks 70 years since the “Danube” cast off from this quay, and embarked on a voyage of shame . 532 Jews were brutally stowed on board. Only nine returned. One of them was Samuel Steinmann. He is the last survivor. I’m especially glad you are here with us. Today we remember the millions of innocent people who were wiped out in History’s m […]
- Our deepest regret this could happen on Norwegian soilFinally, the first real step towards acknowledging our own role in the tragedy. Only after accepting responsibility, can the hard work of forgiveness and the arduous task of reconstructing relations begin. Lifted from Aftenposten (by Elisabeth Rodum and Halvor Hegtun) PM Jens Stoltenberg (Labour) deeply regretted the deportation of Norwegian Jews at the Holo […]
- Holocaust commemoration ceremony today at 1500 hrs in OsloLifted from Dagen.no, but also covered most other news outlets. For more details on the event itself, you can go to http://www.holocaustdagen.no/ Thinks Jens will apologize to the Jews Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is expected to come up with a form of apology to the Norwegian Jews during the International Holocaust Remembrance Day today. Bjørn Arild Hatle […]
- Mixed signals from Norway as Holocaust commemoration ceremony is expected to bring a much awaited formal apology from Norway to its Jewish communityToday, at 3 PM, our PM Jens Stoltenberg is widely expected to officially and formally apologize to the Norwegian Jewish community for the state sponsored persecution and murder of Norwegian citizens with a Jewish background during the WWII. Whatever form that eventual apology finally would be presented as, does not detract from the perception that Norway con […]
Norwegian jews
One week after PM’s reassurance that nobody should live in fear in Norway – Justice Minister Grete Faremo to reassess Jewish community’s security needs
Lifted from Dagbladet, but also mentioned in other media. Faremo to reassess Synagogue security needs – Is in constant contact with police and the Police Security Services. The Minister of Justice Grete Faremo (Labour) is reviewing the safety precautions in place for the Synagogue in Oslo, and is in constant contact with the police...
The PMs Holocaust Memorial Day speech in full
“Dear all, This year marks 70 years since the “Danube” cast off from this quay, and embarked on a voyage of shame . 532 Jews were brutally stowed on board. Only nine returned. One of them was Samuel Steinmann. He is the last survivor. I’m especially glad you are here with us. Today we...
Our deepest regret this could happen on Norwegian soil
Finally, the first real step towards acknowledging our own role in the tragedy. Only after accepting responsibility, can the hard work of forgiveness and the arduous task of reconstructing relations begin. Lifted from Aftenposten (by Elisabeth Rodum and Halvor Hegtun) PM Jens Stoltenberg (Labour) deeply regretted the deportation of Norwegian Jews at the Holocaust Memorial...
Holocaust commemoration ceremony today at 1500 hrs in Oslo
Lifted from Dagen.no, but also covered most other news outlets. For more details on the event itself, you can go to http://www.holocaustdagen.no/ Thinks Jens will apologize to the Jews Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is expected to come up with a form of apology to the Norwegian Jews during the International Holocaust Remembrance Day today....
Mixed signals from Norway as Holocaust commemoration ceremony is expected to bring a much awaited formal apology from Norway to its Jewish community
Today, at 3 PM, our PM Jens Stoltenberg is widely expected to officially and formally apologize to the Norwegian Jewish community for the state sponsored persecution and murder of Norwegian citizens with a Jewish background during the WWII. Whatever form that eventual apology finally would be presented as, does not detract from the perception...
Pre-slaughter stun = animal cruelty
This will make many a ham fisted bureaucrat who has googled a wee bit too much go bonkers; I can virtually hear the gnashing of teeth and furious rejections from academics with tunnel vision… But will this be enough to convince Norwegian legislators that the Jews too, now should have full religious freedom in...
Norwegian Jews reluctant to be members of Jewish congregations
Lifted from Vårt Land Jews do not dare join Jewish communities The Jewish community in Norway has shrunk by nearly a fifth in ten years. Fear of making themselves visible as a Jew, is one of the reasons, the leader of the Jewish Congregation in Oslo, Ervin Kohn believes. by: Geir Ole Bjartvik Figures from Statistics Norway show that the number of members for the two Jewish congregations in Norway...
PM’s reply to Hans Olav Syvertsen’s request for formal apology to Norwegian Jews
I suppose it is a good thing that our PM will honor the memory of the murdered Norwegian citizens who happened to be Jewish for this upcoming Holocaust Day Memorial. But if I am not mistaken, the Holocaust center, which the PM claims he was on the forefront for establishing, was in fact the...
Forgiveness or pardon… what’s the difference
Somebody said that in order to be able to forgive, the parties involved in an incident need to work very hard to uncover the underlying history, the perpetrator needs to explain why he or she acted the way they did and why it now is important to be forgiven, whilst the victim truly must...
Also not in Norwegian news; Jewish funeral procession in Oslo suffers harassment
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...
Norway: We do not boycott Israeli wines, but Golan wines are Syrian
Following up on the story from a few days back, when we reported that Jørund Rytman, the new leader of Stortingets Friends of Israel group, had written to the Minister of Health to query why Israeli wines are not readily available in Vinmonopolet’s stores. Today, the NRK has a follow up story, where a...
Government party MP: Circumcision is monstrous
We return to the developing saga of the Norwegian debate on circumcision, and while I take the view that in the name of preventative medicine, i.e. to keep the small, but nevertheless realistic risks of something going wrong under control, it is a good thing that the Ministry of Health has tabled a proposal...
Gerstenfeld: Essay on anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism in Western schools
Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld has published an extensive essay on anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism in Western schools. It is well researched and well documented and gives concrete examples from various countries in Europe. Below I have copied in some selected examples from Norway. It seems we are merely copying other countries, but in some areas upping...
Norwegian phobia against circumcision
The Christian daily Vårt Land runs a separate discussion forum, verdidebatt.no. The readers of Vårt Land tend to have a high academic profile, perhaps even elitist. Hence, one expects more of this debate forum than others, where they do not flag values and ethics as important guiding principles. Not that the debate therefore must...
Annual Telethon: some Christians call for boycott of Norwegian People’s Aid – talkback comments reek of anti-Semitism
The annual NRK telethon this year donates the funds collected to the Norwegian People’s Aid and their work to clear land mines, explosive devices left after war and conflict. The Telethon is a source of national pride, and billions of Kroner have been collected over the years, to in some small measure help ameliorate...
Anti-Semitic exhibition that was sponsored by Norwegian Church Aid removed after student protests
Yesterday we reported on an anti-Semitic exhibition at Nesbru High School, and how the school, at the time the local newspaper – Budstikka – wrote the story, had not yet decided whether or not to remove the entire exhibition. Miff.no brings us the latest developments (unauthorized translation): Demonization of Israel removed after student protests...
Erling Rimehaug’s editorial in Vårt Land: Israel is taunted by Nazi label
Erling Rimehaug seems to be the only editor who has taken Dagbladet to task on its decision to publish Finn Graffs offensive drawing. After an extensive search in online newspapers I have been unable to find other comments.That reflects poorly on the wider media to acknowledge that the red line is routinely crossed when...
Norwegian Jews: Dagbladet demonizes Israel
It is not only the Jewish Congregation in Oslo that reacts with disgust to Finn Graffs offensive drawing. An article by Vårt Land, explores not only the shock and disgust among Norwegian Jews, but also that of other editors, including Jahn Otto Johansen, the former (and formidable) editor in chief of Dagbladet. Norwegian Jews...
Dagbladet cartoonist Finn Graff: “Jedem das Seine” to illustrate article on prisoner swap
The leader of the Jewish congregation in Oslo, Erwin Kohn, has reacted strongly to a drawing by Dagbladet cartoonist Finn Graff, where he draws Palestinian prisoners being released into another “prison” – Gaza, and inserts the Buchenwald KZ lager insignia; Jedem das Seine (to each what he deserves). Kohn has written an oped in...