anti-semitism in Norway Manfred Gerstenfeld Norway

DR.MANFRED GERSTENFELD: SURVEY SAYS: NORWAY IS DISPROPORTIONALLY ANTI-SEMITIC…….

Norway is a case study in anti-Semitism becoming mainstream in a European society that tilts heavily Left, who promote themselves as a “multicultural society” while at the same time chairing international human rights organizations while it drives out its Jews. For the Left, merely belonging to the Left is enough for them to believe that they are inoculated against the virus of anti-Semitism and other bigotries. KGS

Norway’s Disproportional Anti-Semitism Revealed

Manfred Gerstenfeld

Earlier this month, a survey by the Oslo Municipality found that 33% of Jewish students in the town are physically threatened or abused by other high school teens at least two to three times a month. The group which suffered the next highest amount of bullying was Buddhists at 10%. “Others” were at 7% and Muslims at 5.3%. Furthermore, the survey found that fifty-one percent of high school students consider “Jew” a negative expression and 60% had heard other students use the term.

The publication of these very negative findings came at an inconvenient time for Norwegian authorities. A few days later, an American Jewish group arrived in Oslo consisting of delegates from the Anti-Defamation League, B’nai Brith International and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, as well as Professor Marshall Breger, a former adviser on Jewish Affairs to President Ronald Reagan.

The group had been invited by the DMT – the Oslo Jewish Community – for a two day seminar on anti-Semitism. The Norwegian government helped finance the trip. The delegates were also to meet Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and Minister of Education, Kristin Halvorsen. Critics who claim that anti-Semitism in Norway is disproportionate, were not invited. However, some of the Americans met several of them elsewhere. As the recording of the seminar is on the internet it provides a unique source of information on anti-Semitism in Norway and bears witness to the denial of the reality by several members of the Norwegian elite.

The seminar’s aim was to improve the image abroad of Norway’s attitude toward Israel and the Jews. Recent articles in the foreign media had detailed a variety of negative aspects. Shortly before the visit, an item by community member Martin Bodd in the Aftenposten daily became a further spoiler. His article illustrated that the DMT’s promotion of Norway as a “good place for Jews” was far too optimistic and that anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism in Norway tend to merge into one issue. Bodd had already spoken at an international gathering of the Anti-Defamation League in 2002 about Norwegian anti-Semitism and in particular, the harassment of Jewish students in schools.

This seminar with the American invitees was a radical departure from previous Norwegian policies. The usual defense against the rare foreign critics consists of five elements. First of all, the fact that very little information was available until two years ago in a language other than Norwegian was a formidable barrier.

Secondly, the Norwegian media hardly report about foreign criticism of their country. One infamous case of silence was a letter written by then U.S. Senator Sam Brownback in August 2010 to Wegger Strommen, the Norwegian ambassador in Washington. In it, the senator complained about anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in the country. A letter from the Simon Wiesenthal Center was appended and mentioned extreme negative actions of inter alia Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, as well as Ministers Stoere and Halvorsen. Also mentioned was Deputy Environment Minister Ingrid Fiskaa, who had stated, before she entered the government, that she dreamt about the U.N. launching rockets against Israel.

Norway’s elite reacted as if letters from American senators criticizing Norway were a run of the mill affair, rather than a once in a lifetime event. Only two small papers in Norway gave it any attention. When Stoere was asked about the Brownback letter, he brushed it off as if a senator is some kind of irrelevant anonymous American.

A third defensive method involves frequent lying about inconvenient facts. One example: In January 2009 Trine Lilleng a junior diplomat in the Norwegian embassy in Saudi Arabia sent – via her ministry – email pictures of the Gaza Cast Lead war juxtaposed with those of the Holocaust. The next month, Stoere told the Israeli daily Maariv that she had been recalled home. A few months after that, a Haaretz reporter phoned the Norwegian embassy in Riad and asked to speak with her. The operator said that Consul Lilleng was out, but that he should try again a half hour later. Apparently, this perpetrator diplomat had been promoted. Haaretz then challenged the Norwegian foreign office. It answered that indeed, Stoere had told Maariv that Lilleng was no longer there, but that the press attaché who accompanied the minister had corrected him on the spot. When the Haaretz reporter asked his colleague at Maariv to check the tape, no such correction was there.

The fourth element of defense consists of demonizing foreign critics. From my own personal experience, I could easily fill an op-ed with examples, without even quoting from my collection of Norwegian hate mail. If none of these defense elements help, the fifth and last weapon is brought into action. Leading members of the Norwegian Jewish community come out publicly against the critics, minimizing part of the anti-Semitic events.

In retrospect, it seems that the tipping point in exposing Norway abroad was Professor Alan Dershowitz’ visit in March of this year. Three Norwegian universities refused his offer of a free lecture on Israel and international law. Dershowitz thereupon compared his Norwegian experience with a visit to South Africa under apartheid in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. Demonizing Dershowitz, who is probably better known than Norway in the U.S. could be of no help. A reply defending Norway by Chief Rabbi Israeli ex-minister Michael Melchior, had little impact.

The findings culled from the recent study on anti-Semitism in the Oslo  schools are embarrassing for Norway because they come from an official source. Stoere told the American delegates that anti-Semitism is everywhere, and it is a cancer that should be fought. He added that Norway is not special in this matter. The survey by the Oslo Municipality shows quite the opposite. Stoere and Halvorsen also often apply the same discriminatory methods to Israel as regular anti-Semites do to Jews.

As Norway is closing down now for the summer holidays, its leaders hope in vain that in the meantime all will be forgotten abroad.

Manfred Gerstenfeld has published twenty books. In two of them he addresses anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in Norway.

 

 

 

 

5 Responses

    1. There are very few countries in Europe, if any, where anti Jewish/Israel behaviour is not the norm. Still, Europe is being rewarded for this. Just look at the lack of growth in the EU, with the exception of Germany and Sweden, then look at Asia/Pacific, where anti Jew is not the norm. Israel has a GDP that most ocf the eU would relish to obtain.

      1. I agree with you Martin. Jew hatred and anti-Israeli attitudes have become fashionable in Europe. It is disgusting. Sometimes it feels like we are going back to the Middle Ages.

      2. You said it brother. Europe is a den of Jew hatred, and to think that they once tried to rid Jews from it, only to commit national suicide with Jew hating Muslims.

  1. G_d says that He will bless those who bless (the Jewish People) and curse those who curse them (Genesis 12:3) and the nations who come against His people will be destroyed (Book of Joel)
    My Nation, Great Britain is no longer great nor a united kingdom, as G_d has divided us up as He must be true to His Word.
    Since our nation divided up The Land of Israel in the 1920s we have declined as a world power and I ask Jewish People to forgive our nation as we are the cause of much antisemitism. We have turned our back on G_d and that is why we are in rapid decline as a nation. Yours sincerely, Bill PS I am not Jewish

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.