Norway: A Paradigm for Anti-Semitism

We’ve posted recently about Jew-hatred in Norway, using Norwegian-language material translated by Rolf Krake. Rolf sent us a link to the following article, written by Manfred Gerstenfeld for The Jerusalem Post:

Norway — a paradigm for anti-Semitism

“I would like to take the opportunity to remember all the billions of fleas and lice that lost their lives in German gas chambers, without having done anything wrong other than settling on persons of Jewish background.”

This is what Norwegian comedian Otto Jespersen said on Thursday 27 November on the country’s largest commercial TV station. Much worse, however, is that the director of the station defended this expression of “satire.”

A week later Jespersen, in his weekly TV appearance, gave a “satiric” monologue of mixed anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli remarks. He concluded by wishing the Jews a happy Christmas. But then as an afterthought, he said this was not proper as the Jews had murdered Jesus. Two years ago the same comedian burned pages from the Tanach in front of a TV camera, but this was no reason to terminate his employment. Jespersen explained that he wouldn’t burn the Koran if he wanted to live longer than a week.

LAST WEEK, on four consecutive days, there were anti-Israeli articles in Norway’s second-largest daily Aftenposten. The first called for a general boycott of Israel. The second promoted an academic boycott, falsely accusing Israeli physicians of participating in torture and the Israeli Medical Association of remaining silent about it. Any honest debater would have reported that Israeli hospitals routinely treat Palestinian children, some of whom express joy when suicide bombers kill Israelis. One wonders whether any other country would allow this.

The third article stressed the right to criticize Israel. This is a typical attack on a “straw man,” as nobody denies this right. The fourth claimed that Israel is not a democracy. Only thereafter a pro-Israeli voice was heard.

Two years ago the conservative Aftenposten got international attention when it published an op-ed by Jostein Gaarder which until this day remains the vilest anti-Semitic article published in a European mainstream paper since the Second World War.

Whoever wants to understand how Jews might live in a future democratic Europe if no major counter-forces are mobilized should study Norway. Among parts of the elite there, Jew-hatred and rabid anti-Israelism intermingle. The country’s population numbers only 4.6 million. The Jewish population, even before the war, was never more than 2,000. It now numbers 1,300, of which only 700 affiliate with the organized community. Yet Norway must figure prominently in any future history of post-war European anti-Semitism.

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[…]

AFTER THE beginning of the second intifada, several Jewish children were harassed in school. The aggression was supported by teachers on several occasions. Since then, the Jewish community has kept a low profile. When asked by the press, its leaders will admit there is anti-Semitism, but claim that critics overstate it. They usually remain silent on the anti-Semitic aspects of anti-Israelism.

Norwegian hate cartoons often mix anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism. Some are straight-out anti-Semitic, such as one which appeared in the Labor movement daily Dagsavisen in 2003. It portrayed a Jew with a long beard reading the new Ten Commandments, including “murder, kill, liquidate, execute.” During the Second Lebanon War, anti-Semitic incidents in Oslo were the most severe in Europe. The synagogue was shot at, the cantor was attacked on a main street and the Jewish cemetery was desecrated. The Jewish community’s president Anne Sender was thereafter quoted in a European Jewish Congress report speaking of the considerable “atmosphere of intimidation and fear.”

Anti-Israelism has been built up systematically in Norway by trade unions, media, some prominent Christians and politicians. The demonization is classic: major media report negative things about Israel while obfuscating or omitting Palestinian suicide attacks or declared genocidal intentions. The main counterforce is a small group of Christian friends.

15 thoughts on “Norway: A Paradigm for Anti-Semitism

  1. its easy to attack someone or something that poses no threat whatso ever.

    doing anything akin to this aimed at islam would be actually dangerous.

    which is why they (norwegians) are weasils. less than 2000 scared and quiet jews versus 10’s of thousands of violent muslim immigrants?

  2. Two years ago the same comedian burned pages from the Tanach in front of a TV camera, but this was no reason to terminate his employment. Jespersen explained that he wouldn’t burn the Koran if he wanted to live longer than a week.

    There it is, in a nutshell.

    A pure distillation of mindless hatred and bottomless cowardice.

    Norway is earning what it is about to get.

  3. The poor comedian has no sense of humor. So he is searching for something else…to sell.

    “Selling” by itself is not really funny either. He should be an easy prey for a real comedian.

  4. I am trying to do my best to make up for those of us that are either too stupid or too afraid to say something about it outloud, so I am buying everything that I see is from Israel. And I am nok alone, when the foodstore have something from Israel it is sold out fast.

  5. I don’t get it. You make fun of Muslims, yet you defend Jews. Why the double-standard? To be fair, Euro-Nationalists should support neither Jews nor Muslims, since neither population groups belongs in Europe.

  6. Western Initiatives: OK, I may have been rude to you at one point so I’ll put this as politely as I can: I suggest you look at the prominent “We support Israel” logo featured on this website. If you disagree with that then maybe you’re simply on the wrong website. Just sayin’ it.

  7. WI,

    To be fair, Euro-Nationalists should support neither Jews nor Muslims, since neither population groups belongs in Europe.

    Do you support Israel? It’s not in Europe, you know.

    Can you see how the Jews in Israel are on the same side as us in the struggle against Islamic jihad?

  8. you keep it up hilde.

    and western, you better support isreal, becuase its easy for me to see through your charade if you said no. if jews arent allowed or “supposed to be in europe, but you dont support them in israel thean thier is only one place for them and thats where I see you headed.

    why the double standard??? when you can show me millions of maniacal uncivilized jews cutting off heads and murdering people wholesale I might have a bone to pick with them. and when you can show me an islamic world contributing to the advancement of humanity medicine science, peacefull co-existence instead violent infestation of anywhere they get a foothold, I might stop being islamaphobic

  9. A large component of nationalism is the right to have that double standard – that is, the right to do as we please within our borders. A nation will live or die by the choices it makes under the rights so granted. And that’s fine.

    Besides, having a jewish population is rather like having beneficial symbiotic relationship, like lichen and trees, where the lichen provides benefits to the tree and vice-versa; whereas Islam is like ivy. It strangles its host to death and then uses its corpse to keep itself up in the air.

  10. Some of the stuff I see in postings on this site from time to time on the subject of Jews, Jewish culture and Israel is like the screach of nails on a blackboard to me.

    Those who are in doubt might want to reflect on the fact that western culture has, apart from Europe’s local prehistoric cultural roots, three sources — Athens, Rome and Jerusalem.

    Jews and Jewish culture are so deeply integrated into the fabric of European & western culture at so many levels and in so many areas that it is slightly absurd to consider the two as altogether independent entities.

    Like it or not, and I know that a lot of people don’t, Israel is a part, and an important part, of the western world.

    That so many in Europe, and even America want to throw Israel under the bus for the sake of appeasing the mohammedans is regrettable, undeniable and much in keeping with traditional forms of anti-semitism. But it tells us nothing about Israel or the Jews as such.

    I recommend reading Geert Wilder’s comments on the subject, which can be found here:

    http://www.andrewbostom.org/blog/2008/12/14/geert-wilders-in-jerusalem-%E2%80%9Cthe-jihad-against-israel-is-the-jihad-against-the-west%E2%80%9D/

    Bottom line: If the Christians can be tricked into thinking that Israel is irrelevant to the fate of the west, and traditional anti-semitism can be counted on to help that along, then the forces of jihad can lock up the west coast of the mediteranean. Period.

    It’s simple divide and conquer.

    We should be widening the scope of the resistance. Not narrowing it.

    This isn’t just about Israel. It’s also about Kashmir, Chechnia, Serbia, Thailand, Australia, Bali and the myriad other places under jihaddi attack.

    Wise up. Don’t be a sap.

  11. Ooops. That would be the east coast of the Mediterranean.

    ==========

    BTW: Good on you Hilde!

    You are surrounded by a rising tide of idiots.

    And your courage stands out all the more for it.

  12. One more thing.

    Something that gets lost in the ubiquitous flurry of excitement that accompanies the subject of Israel and the Joooooooz.

    The fate of Lebanon!

    Lebanon was once a part of Christendom and is about to disappear altogether into the insatiable maw of jihad and sharia.

    It also represents a respectable chunk of the eastern Mediterranean coastline.

    People with some passing concern with the health and welfare of Europe’s vulnerable southern underbelly might want to give a little thought to that fact.

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