Below is the translation of an article by Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld published in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenbladet on January 23rd. An expert on contemporary antisemitism, Dr. Gerstenfeld is Chairman of the Board of Fellows at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Last September my new book in English Behind the Humanitarian Mask: The Nordic Countries, Israel and the Jews was published. It provides many details of how the Nordic countries’ moral pretenses and supposed concern for humanitarian rights often hide darker attitudes. This is particularly true regarding Norway and Sweden. I also listed some of the book’s key aspects on Norway in the Jerusalem Post last December. This article gave attention as well to new developments including the weak reactions of Norwegian civil society to the anti-Semitic remarks of the comedian Otto Jespersen.
The reactions to my previous thirteen books, published in various languages and countries, usually focused on their content. In Norway, however, much of the discussion about my new book consists of attacks on statements never made, events which never took place and other fallacies. For instance Anne Sender, the head of the Jewish community of Oslo, claimed in Dagsavisen that I had come to Norway to meet selected people to confirm my prejudices. This visit exists only in her fantasy. Per Christiansen, the Middle East correspondent of Aftenposten quoted Sender’s invention without checking the facts.
Harald Maaland’s article also refers to some of Sender’s and Christiansen’s allegations and suggests incorrectly that I have written that Norway is the most hostile country to Israel in Europe. In view of this collection of mythology let me explain my position. One of my statements is that parts of Norway’s elites have pioneered hatred of Jews and Israel in recent decades. Another is that Norway must figure prominently in any post-war history of European anti-Semitism.
Some caricatures in mainstream Norwegian media over the last decades are interchangeable with those of Nazi papers. To make matters worse King Harald V personally presented the Royal Order of St. Olav to Finn Graff who had published a caricature showing Israeli Prime Minister Olmert as a Nazi. This cartoon is unmistakably anti-Semitic according to the definition used by the European Union. A 2006 article in Aftenposten by Jostein Gaarder will be prominent in any anthology of recent European anti-Semitic texts.
In 2002 the Norwegian Labor Union under Gerd-Liv Valla was among the first Western trade unions calling for a boycott of Israel. The decision in 2005 by the Sør Trøndelag region to boycott Israel was the first by such a body in Europe. Norway’s finance minister Kristin Halvorsen was the first Western government minister to call for a consumer boycott of Israel in January 2006.
In my book I also mentioned death threats to Norwegian Jewish leaders in the new century. I quoted Anne Sender about how intimidated Jews felt after the violent attacks against the cantor, the synagogue and the cemetery of the Oslo Jewish community during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Sender recently mentioned that after Jespersen’s hate statements Jewish children were again harassed in Norwegian schools
With respect to the campaign in Gaza: the Norwegian government’s position is hostile to Israel contrary to that of the great majority of the EU countries. If the government was truly concerned about humanitarian issues, it would have been the first to try to bring Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before an international court in view of his multiple incitements to genocide. It should also have frequently condemned the genocidal calls against Jews in the Hamas charter and on its television.
On the basis of these and many more examples about Norway in my book I claim that the biased actions and positions of this government and part of the country’s elite concerning Jews and Israel are indicative of structural failures in Norwegian civil society.
Dear Ben Cohen
I have just seen an interview on Norwegian national tv with you and then read this blog of yours.
I believe you misunderstand the Scandinavian way of expressing meanings.
Although most Norwegians disagree with how the state of Israel is handling your struggles with Palestinians, we strongly respect the aspect of being a Jew. In a modern state it must be possible to distinguish between a person of Jewish faith and the state of Israel as a secular state. We see Israel as a state with a full range of meanings and political views and not ONE single “Jewish” thought and view on the world.
I have had the pleasure to visit Israel twice, once in 2001 and in 2007. Both times I spent time in both Palestinian areas and in the undisputed area of Israel.
Israel will greatly benefit of getting a long term peace deal, even though you might loose some of your claimed land. The cost benefit of keeping it like it is to day just isn’t good enough.
Too many good discussions and debates in a democracy are ended too soon due to somebody playing the racism card. We believe that to have a good debate on Israels possibilities of securing peace and a healthy relationship with all other countries in the world, one must be able to look beyond your history. Israel is a lot more than your suffering during WW2.
I give the state of Israel my best, and I strongly hope that you someday will be able to not look at yourselves as victim’s of WW2 and your paranoia. We don`t hate Israel. We don`t hate Jews. We just disagree on your politics towards Palestinians. Norway is also a country on many meanings and opinions. You have just heard mine.
MVH
Øivind
Øivind
I am Norwegian, same as you. We both know that Norway has an anti-semitic legacy, from the “no Jews or Jesuits” paragraph of our constitution of 1814 up to the betrayal of Norwegian Jews during WWII, when Norwegian police rounded the Jews up and sent them to Auschwitz. On at least one occasion, men from the Norwegian resistance killed and robbed Jews whom they were allegedly leading to safety in Sweden.
Today, we see little overt anti-semitism. Except for during the anti-Israeli demonstrations in January, when demonstrators waved signs commemorating Mohammed’s massacre of Jews in the valley of Hayber, chanted for Jewish blood, and threw rocks, bottles and stones at the peaceful pro-Israeli rally in front of Stortinget. I was there, Øivind, and what I saw was the same parliament of the streets which brought the Weimar republic to its knees.
What we do have in Norway today, and I believe you will agree with me on this, is massive coverage of Israel. It’s every day, in the newspapers, on tv and on the radio. Just today, we have (http://www.webavisen.no/web/default.asp?as_q=israel&ct=18&as_qd=1&as_qdp=m&as_qct=1&as_qct_id=)19 different sources running the story “Palestinian state in Israel’s interest”, 6 sources running “Israel bombs tunnels in Gaza”, 3 sources running “Israeli threatens”, and 4 sources running “Israeli-Arabic peace duo participates in the Eurovision”.
Now that’s just what we see on Webavisen today. We had the same detailed coverage yesterday, and we will see the same tomorrow. Israel isn’t at all covered “just like any other nation”. Israel is covered comprehensively and constantly criticized, as it were our own back yard. No other country gets anything like the same attention, not even Russia, which has attacked virtually all her neighbors at one point or another.
Why then, should we Norwegians be so extraordinarily excited about Israel? There are just two things which are extraordinary about this little nation. One; it’s the only democracy in the middle east. Two; it’s the only Jewish state in the entire world. Any atrocity Israel has committed has been committed twice over in her neighboring states. So why is it Israel, Israel, Israel, day and night, night and day?
The reality is that Israel has become a Norwegian pastime, a hobby, a fetish. There is nothing healthy or ordinary about our obsessive criticism of this country. I speak every day to Norwegians who are deeply upset about Israel, yet few of them have read as much a single book about the country. The Norwegian obsession with Israel is but a balm, a spoiled child’s way of being able to side with the Palestinian underdog against a westernized ally of USA.
Manfred Gertenfeld, that grumpy old man, strikes true to the mark in his allegation of Norwegian elites being imbued with humanitarian racism: setting one set of standards for people like ourselves, and another standard for people dissimilar from ourselves.
Read up on history, sir, and see if you would accept from Israel what you so willingly accept in Israel’s enemies.
Best regards
Carl
Well, I’d like to start by stating that I don’t feel anything against or for jews, nor any other religious grouping or likewise.
Still, I’ve been categorized by someone I’ve never met, spoke to etc etc as an antisemit, which I’d feel is wrong.
I actually feel offended, and I do know of others who feel the same way.
By stating Norway is anti-semitic you’re effectively offending the part that’s not.
I as Øyvind would say that there’s the separation between religion and state that’s the issue here.
I do NOT concur with the way Hamas behave, nor the way they’ve been countered.
Hate usually only leads one way, and that is to more hate, so instead of besmirching a populace for not siding with ones own opinion, write a proposal for peace, and instead of giving Hamas ground to fester upon (Such organizations thrive on fear, hate and such), give them hope.
I hope to see peace in the area, but as the differences are great and many actual antisemits are to be found in the region, there’s lot to do.
BUT, I thought that putting up walls, depriving a populace for food etc was the wrong way to go.
Learned in the ww2?
What about compassion and respect for fellow human beings?
Or live beings at all for that sake.
Anyhow, bringin up the act from 1814 is merely pointing out that religion have no place in politics.
Please read more WHY that law was held in place (not enacted as it was allready there from the Union).
Furthermore, “members of the resistance” didn’t target only jews.. Reports of these kinds should be available in libraries with decent books.
No, calling on the -ism card is just poor manners.
-Not so angry mob
Rsif, I’ll get back to you in a second. Now here is an excerpt from an article by the editor of Foreign Affairs in the daily Dagsavisen (http://www.dagsavisen.no/meninger/article401983.ece).
This is what we get here in Norway, every single day. No wonder Israel is about as popular as Guy Fawkes. And no wonder Manfred Gerstenfeld suspects Norwegians of being anti-semitic. We have an absence of checks and balances up here, when it comes to the farwaylands of the Middle East.
—————————–
A red line runs throughout the history of the state of Israel, from the UN division plan in November 1947 and up to today: The attempt to harass the Palestinians so thoroughly that they finally elect to leave what the zionists see as their promised land. Israel was born in blood and pain and endless suffering. The Israeli historian Ilan Pappe documents, in his book “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine”, how leaders headed by David Ben-Gurion implemented a systematic plan to chase the Palestinians away from cities and villages where they had lived for centuries, thereby opening the land completely for the jews.
Pappes book builds to a large extent on Israeli documents, and is terrifying to read. The Jewish millitia Hagana, supported by the terrorgroups Irgun and Stern, executed systematic massacres of men, women and children in order to scare the Palestinians away. Towns like Deir Yassin and Tantura deserve to be mentioned as warcrimes on the same level as Oradour and Lidice. But there were many hundred towns which were completely eradicated, leveled with the ground and attempted hidden beneath the veil of time. Pappe also smashed the myth about how the refugees fled at the orders of neighboring arab states. This was intentional, it was implemented with great deliberations and with an infinite brutality and disregard for Palestinian lives.
The policy of making life unbearable for the Palestinians goes on. The Palestinians are regularly harassed and humiliated by Israeli soldiers. The settlements on the Westbank, the many road blocks and controls hinder and stranggle any attempt at establishing a healthy and sustainable Palestinian economy.
In watching Europeans deny obvious, pervasive antisemitism using a host of disingenuous tactics, the path to the Holocaust becomes ever more evident.
One man claims “You offend Norwegians” with such claims. Is he concerned that real Jewish lives and livelihoods are at stake? Apparently not, what’s more important is his self-image. How dare suggest …
Thank you Carl (the 1st), for some honest perspective. Hopefully a voice like yours can rise and bring shame on people like Øivind and bring real dignity to the Norwegian people.
Aaron Truitt:
You say bring shame on people like me Aaron Truitt?
Please tell me why? What did you read in my text that makes your write that? Please do tell, `couse I really can`t see what is shameful there. I very much stand by what I wrote.
I have to Jewish friends living in Norway which I have shown what I wrote. They also count understand why I should be ashamed of this.
Carl:
I did not live during the WW2 and will therefor not under any circumstances take any responsibility for ONE single episode from the resistance of bad things happening to Jews.
I totally agree that we didn’t do enough to help the Jews like the danish did. But some tried their best and I for one thing can say my grandfather helped several Jewish families into hiding. Unfortunately some of them where later discovered and sent to death camps but some survived.
The rule about Jews didn’t have access to Norway (Grunnloven §2 last sentence) was from 1814 to 1851 but many fought the law. One of our most famous poets Henrik Wergeland fought the law very hard and tried already in 1842 to get it removed. He wrote the poetry collection Jøden (The Jew) which he sent to every MP before the voting. To change the law they needed 2/3 but only got 51/94 in 1842. They voted several times and finally in 1851 it was removed. Please also remember that the law was something we got from the Danes and also included “Jesuitter” and munks. Norway was ruled by the swedes from 1814 to 1905 although we had our own Constitution.
Although Israel has democratic elections, Israel is a very corrupt state with lots of problems. I don’t think we should be use the argument that Israel is so great just because their neighbors are even worse.
Have your thought that maybe we care so much about Israel because they claim to be democratic and a modern
state with European values.
In Norway the socialists loved Israel in the beginning due to the Kibbutz but after Israel changed to right wing (compared to Norway) our left wing changed their views. Now the right wing (KRF, Høyre and FRP) in Norway are “friends of Israel”
Israel is also controlling the most important religious places for several religions and are therefor center stage for conflicts between them.
Do you Carl excuse the state of Israel for whatever they do? I think Norway is a great country but i don’t think all the things we do are correct. I hope that foreigners also sees that inside every country there are many different opinions and there we shouldn’t judge the people of a nation just because their leaders do stupid things.
Remember this:
Good people do good things.
Bad people do bad things.
Only religion makes good people do bad things.
Best regards
Øivind
Øivind
Thanks for answering. This is not, however, about the two of us or about what our family member did during WWII, or what your two Jewish friends think.
The fact is that Norway has an anti-semitic history and that Norwegians today in no way critisize Israel “on the same level” as we critisize other countries. Israel has been singled out for special treatment for no good reason. If Norwegians were really concerned about human life we would look at Congo DR.
The average Norwegian has no knowledge of Israeli history, of the Balfour declaration, of the Peel commission, of 48, 67, 73 or Camp David 2000, or the jewish refugees. Yet he is all too keen to take sides, for the Palestinians and against Israel, and to swallow the simplistic arguments which are presented to us in the press.
Regarding religion, I’m sure you know that Israel was built mainly by non-religous jews. The religous zeal in the region is muslim, not jewish. It is true however that moslems have declared jihad on Israel since the origin of the state. But to the extent that it is a religous war that we see in the Middle East, it is a moslem religous war, not a jewish one.
The Israeli academic Manfred Gerstenfeld has written a book on anti-semitism in the nordic countries, feel free to download it form my site: http://www.israelwhat.com. Read it, and in return I will read any book on the case of Palestine that you care to mention.
Regards
Carl
Øivind;
You need to find the world within yourself before projecting your inner needs onto the real world.
There are many Jews trying to distance themselves from their Jewishness in the hopes of becoming more popular, better liked. And like all other emotionally based attitudes, it fails the test of real justice.
You say:
“Good people do good things.
Bad people do bad things.
Only religion makes good people do bad things.”
I reply:
Good people do more good things than bad things.
Bad people do more bad things than good things.
People use religion, and every other social institution, to execute their will.
I don’t think Norwegian are anti-semitic, but I know that when spoiled brats full of oil money that don’t work until they are 40 years old have time to dedicate in bringing “peace” to place that they never set foot. Norwegians are like the Red Army Faction in Germany. Burgoise thinking that they need to help others, when in reality they are only fooling themselves. Arguing the dimension of anti-Semitism in Norway is pointless.
I am Russian and I also wonder why Israeli politics get such unproportionally large share in Russian media. In fact this coverage is not necessary anti-semitic or anti-Isreli but a slightly wounded Palestinian child attracts definitely much more attention than mass killings somewhere in Africa.
I thought the blog might interest you.
Best,
Assaf
i would like to say something about the horsemanure apologists noted above..name one other country anywhere where unions and others have marked merchandise with israeli stickers not to buy in the manner of kristallnacht? where are the boycotts for african tyrants? have they done this with china? sudan? russia?..the cold hard facts are that norway has a long history of anti semitism..just look at the the language..apart from fjord, only quisling — a cowardly anti semitic traitor–has been incorpated into english.