Jewish Oslo

1 Historical Background
2 Henrik Wergeland's tireless efforts
3 Establishment and development Jewish community
4 Little known history
5 Recovery of the Community
6 List of the pictures and illustrations:
7 Bibliography

Historical Background

As far back as in the year 1000, the Norwegian king, Olav den Hellige, forbade everyone who was not Christian to live in Norway but only in the time of king Christian IV (late 16th century) do we find specific references to the Jews. The Jews in question were mainly those who in 1492 and 1498 were driven out of Spain and Portugal. These Sephardi Jews first settled in the Netherlands and in Hamburg. In Norway, these were called “Portuguese-Jews.” Some of them were given special permission to enter Norway when no other Jews could. Those who were still in Norway at the beginning of the 19th century in most cases let themselves be baptized. The king, Christian IV, thought that the Jews could be helpful to his country but because of opposition from the clergy, he had to be satisfied with letting the Jews settle in duchies of Slesvig-Holstein. Jews had been permitted to live there from 1620. They were now granted freedom of religion and in 1630 the king gave them permission to travel freely in Denmark and Norway and also do trade there. The Jews living in this area were not, as in many other countries, forced to live in ghettos or in special Jewish streets or wear clothes which would distinguish them as being Jewish. In 1641, the king extended his “protection” to include “Aschkenazi-Jews,” from Eastern-, Central- and part of Western Europe.

King Christian IV's successor, King Fredrik III, was not as liberal as his predecessor and during his time the Jews in the area once again lived under strict conditions. They were not allowed to be in the Danish-Norwegian kingdom without a form of visa . In 1687, when Norway was united with Denmark under King Christian V's law, the prohibition of Jews entering the country was reinserted. There was a fine for anyone who broke this law and a reward for the person who informed against a Jew. About 150 years later, in 1830, the attitude towards Jews was somewhat more lenient and by 1844 the Justice Department decided that “Portuguese-Jews” would be permitted to enter freely.

In 1814, Norway acquired its first constitution. This document was relatively liberal, but in §2 it stated that the official state religion was Lutheran Protestantism and that Jews and Jesuits were forbidden from entering the kingdom.

Henrik Wergeland's tireless efforts

Monument on Wergelands grave erected in 1849 by Danish and Swedish Jews (Photo 1).

Jewish immigrants first began arriving in Norway in 1851, after Storting – Norwegian national assembly) voted to eliminate the §2 of Constitution that restricted Jews from entering the country. It was Henrik Wergeland (1808 – 1845), one Norway's most famous national poets and an advocate of social justice and religious freedom, who led the way in the long and arduous struggle to repeal the ban against Jews in Norway. Wergeland died without seeing the success of his endeavors, but his efforts gained him the everlasting respect and admiration of Jews throughout Scandinavia. In 1849, Jews in Sweden and Denmark (photo 1) erected a monument on his grave that bears the inscription “Grateful Jews from outside Norway have raised this memorial”. Wergeland was a hero to those Jews who immigrated to Norway after 1851. The first time a Jewish man gave a public speech in Norway was in 1881 which became an integral component of the celebration of 17th May - Norwegian Constitution Day. With the exception of the years of Nazi occupation, Norwegian Jews gathered together at Wergeland's grave every year since 1890s to mark the national holiday with speeches in his spirit.

Establishment and development Jewish community

Det Mosaiske Trossamfund synagogueon Bergstien 13, Oslo – nowadays is the one of two functioning synagogues in Norway (photo 2)

Following 1851, Jews began arriving in Norway in small numbers, mainly from Poland and Lithuania. Often, these were people who simply could not afford to go all the way to America. The first official congregation was established in Christiania (now Oslo) in June 1892. The community first named itself Det Jødiske Samfund i Christiania (The Jewish Community in Christiania) but only one year later the name was changed to Det Mosaiske Trossamfund (The Mosaic Community). At this stage there were 214 Jews in Norway, 136 of them living in Christiania. When the community was established, it numbered about 100 members. They decided to keep to the Orthodox tradition, though most of the members were not very observant with regard to the Halachic laws. The development of the community continued through the following years.

Layout of the synagogue on Calmeyers gate 15, Oslo (from open air exhibition by Jewish museum)(photo 3)

In 1892, an immigrant from Lithuania was employed as teacher for the children, cantor, shochet and mohel. The same year, fixed times for prayers were set and a place was rented to be used as a synagogue. In 1893 the community employed a rabbi, Dr. Meyer Ashkanaze, and as the number of members increased, the synagogue was moved from place to place. A number of Jewish associations were founded in the wake of this. The first of these was a Jewish aid association, followed by a women's association, a youth association and groups for a variety of different types of activities. The first synagogue in Norway was consecrated by Det Mosaiske Trossamfund (The Mosaic Community) in 1920 (photo 2) . Another synagogue which now houses the Jewish museum was opened by another community – Den Israelitiske Menighet ( The Israelite Congregation). In 1939 the two congregations merged together and the synagogue in Calmeyers gate (nowadays Jewish museum) (photo 3) remained in use until 1942, when it was closed down by the Norwegian Nazi collaborated government.

from open air exhibition by Jewish museum title “19 Jews were deported from Calmeyergaten 15 . None from them came back’ (photo 4)

Before World War II, 2200 Jews were included in Norway's population of three million (including 1600 Jewish citizens and 600 refuges). During the war, civilian Norwegian police in many cases helped the German occupiers in the apprehension of those Jews who failed to escape in time (photo 4).

Monument stands on the south side of Oslo Fjord near where ships departed for Stettin and then Auschwitz carrying 767 of Norway's Jews.(photo 5)

On 26 November 1942, 532 Norwegian Jews were deported from Oslo on the cargo vessel Donau. This was the first step on the journey to the death camp at Auschwitz. On 25 February 1943, a further 158 Jews were deported from this area on the Gotenland. Altogether the total number of Jews deported from Norway was 767. Only 28 survived. Two hundred and thirty families were completely exterminated. This monument (photo 5) has been erected in commemoration of the Norwegian Jews who were deported and killed in this dark chapter of Norwegian history.

Little known history

More than 140 Jews with Norwegian citizenship, representing nearly 10 % of the total Jewish population, served in the Norwegian armed forces. This greatly exceeded the percentage of the Norwegian public at large. The participation of Norwegian Jews in the struggle against the Nazi regime has not been widely publicized, as most attention has been focused on stories of the arrests, deportation and murder of the nearly 800 members of the Jewish populations of all ages. The Jewish minority in Norway is often depicted as a rather passive group that either killed at Auschwitz or took refuge in Sweden. But this view does not do justice to the courageous individuals who fought alongside their countryman to regain Norway's freedom.

Recovery of the Community

Records show that during the Holocaust, 758 Norwegian Jews were murdered by the Nazis—mostly in Auschwitz . Many of the Jews who fled during the war did not return, and in 1946, there were only 559 Jews in Norway.

After the end of the war, in 1945, when some of the refugees returned, the Jewish community in Oslo was re-established. They found the synagogue in Oslo unharmed, miraculously. It had been used as a storage place for Nazi-literature and confiscated Jewish belongings during the war. Even the Torah Scrolls were still there, unharmed. The synagogue could, therefore, be used again as soon as it was cleaned up (photo 6).

Interior of Oslo synagogue (photo 6)

The new rabbi of the community was Rabbi Zalman Aronzon. However, the level of activity, at the time, was much lower than before the war and there were long periods without a rabbi, limited teaching capability and little spiritual leadership. In 1947 the Norwegian government permitted the immigration of several hundred Jewish refugees, mostly from Hungary. In 1960, a community center was built right beside the synagogue.

In the late 1970's a serious revival of the community began, with the appointment of a new young rabbi, Michael Melchior, and a new leadership. The rabbi made many changes in the education system. In addition to intensifying the intellectual challenge of study, Rabbi Melchior set out to build upon the principle that "Jewish culture should not merely be learnt but also lived". The "classroom-education" was extended to include obligatory weekend-seminars and camps, which would let the children actually experience what they were learning. Since then, many institutions have been established: a kindergarten, well-attended synagogue services, Cheider (afternoon supplementary Judaic classes) for all school children, a seniors' center, a supply of kosher food imported from Israel, France, and the US, study-circles as well as other cultural and religious events. During the last 25-30 years organisations such as WIZO, B'nei Akiva (being the only active Jewish youth organisation, in Norway, today), Maccabi Sports Club, B'nei Brith and Keren Kajemet L'Israel have become popular among the Norwegian Jews.

Due to the small number of Jews in Norway, the leadership saw that it was essential to maintain unity and that there should therefore only be one congregation in Oslo (about 850 members) and a smaller community in Trondheim (about 100 members). The policy of the community is to follow Orthodox laws, teachings and traditions. This form is used in the synagogue, classes etc., and for all events taking place within the community. In order for this to work in practice, there is no coercion of members in regard to their own degree of observance, as long as regulations are followed within the confines and institutions of the community.

Part of the revival of the Jewish community, during the last 20 years, has been the introduction of cantors from Israel, whose duties include leading synagogue services and teaching. These people come for a couple of years, with their families, and then return to Israel. This arrangement insures an infusion of the latest ideas from the Jewish world, especially Israel. During the last decade this has been achieved through a successful association with WUJS (World Union of Jewish Students) project Arevim. Most of the members Jewish Community in Oslo have very strong ties with the State of Israel and the Community encourages a Zionist ideology.

List of the pictures and illustrations:

Monument on Wergelands grave erected in 1849 by Danish and Swedish Jews
Det Mosaiske Trossamfund synagogueon Bergstien 13, Oslo – nowadays is the one of two functioning synagogues in Norway
Layout of the synagogue on Calmeyers gate 15, Oslo (from open air exhibition by Jewish museum)
From open air exhibition by Jewish museum title “19 Jews were deported from Calmeyergaten 15 . None from them came back”
Monument by the British artist Anthony Gormley was jointly commissioned by the Oslo Jewish Community and the Norwegian Parliament. It stands on the south side of Oslo Fjord, below the old fort, near where ships departed for Stettin and then Auschwitz carrying 767 of Norway's Jews. The monument takes the form of eight empty, seatless cast iron chairs: its theme is 'absence'. A nearby plaque bears the following inscription: 'On 26 November 1942, 532 Norwegian Jews were deported from this area on the cargo vessel Donau. This was the first step on the journey to the death camp at Auschwitz. On 25 February 1943, a further 158 Jews were deported from this area on the Gotenland. Altogether the total number of Jews deported from Norway was 767. Of these 30 survived. Two hundred and thirty families were completely exterminated. This monument has been erected in commemoration of the Norwegian Jews who were deported and killed in this dark chapter of our history'. On the same day the Jews were also deported on two other ships, the Donau and the Monte Rosa. The site is an official meeting point on International Holocaust Day.