No way back?
Jostein Gaarder, the author of Sophie’s World, recently wrote an op-ed piece (translated here) in Aftenposten, one of Norway’s leading newspapers. Here is a flavor of the article:
No way back. It is time to learn a new refrain: We no longer recognize the State of Israel… We are at the watershed. There is no way back. The State of Israel has raped the world’s recognition and will not see peace until it lays down its arms.
While many see the piece as promoting anti-semitism, some are shocked at the relative silence among Norway’s commentators. Leif Knutsen at Heretics’ Almanac comments:
There are about 1500 Jews in Norway today. I’d have to say that the future for them is becoming increasingly uncertain. Not because pogroms are going to break out, or the government is likely to pass discriminatory legislation. But because popular opinion makes it increasingly difficult for Norwegian Jews to openly identify themselves as Jews. Jewish community leaders now advise their members to not wear a kippah in public, Israelis and other Hebrew speakers are advised not to speak Hebrew so others can hear it. The synagogue in Oslo is probably one of the most intensely protected buildings in Norway.
Gaarder’s op-ed is a new line in the sand. If the Norwegian cultural and political elite allow it to stand, they are complicit in condoning the reintroduction of antisemitism in Norwegian life.
What is happening in Norway is only part of a bigger and very disturbing picture of anti-semitism across Europe. It is time to speak out before there is truly “no way back”.
