Really folks, Norway is really beyond the pale.
The Jews are not impressed. It seems
that everywhere you turn in Scandinavia, the political, cultural elite
is taking it out on the Jews. Just today I published a piece on Norway’s
King Harold V who plans to award an antisemite a medal for public service, and in Sweden the Jewish communities in Malmö and Helsingborg refuse to participate in the Kristallnacht commemorations due to other parties’ private agendas.
NOTE: This has gone well beyond parody, something more sinister is at work here.
Source: With Israel For Peace (MIFF):
Published: 11.11.2012, kl. 3:22 pm Updated: 11.11.2012 kl. 3:28 pm
- A more inappropriate speaker could not have been elected to a commemoration of the Holocaust
Ever since the mid-1990s, the district
Møhlenpris in Bergen hosted an annual march with torches in memory of
Jews in the district who were arrested and sent to concentration camps
during World War II. The Torchlight procession will be held on 26
november, the day when the cargo ship Donau went from Oslo with 532
Norwegian Jews.
After the torchlight SV leader Audun
Lysbakken will speak at the “Human Rights Square”, after which there
will be a lecture by former Prime Minister Kåre Willoch in the
Rafto-house. According to information from Møhlenpris district
association, the event is supported by Bergen Municipality.
Boycott by Jewish musician
An American-Norwegian Jew who for years
has participated in the event with Jewish prayers and an original for
the occasion wriitten composition, chooses to boycott this year’s event.
- I refuse to participate in the same
program as Kåre Willoch. It could not have been chosen a more
inappropriate speaker at a ceremony commemorating the Holocaust, writes
the musician on his private Facebook page. He explains to his American
friends in English that Willoch is “extremely anti-Israel, and has made
some terrible anti-Semitic comments.”
(Miff.no has written articles on how Willoch demonizes and spreads factual errors about Israel.)
It is not only from the west coast that
experiences strong reactions to the election of Willoch speaking. “This
is a punch in the stomach for us,” said a Norwegian Jew in east Norway,
not wanting to come forward with names.
Provocative
Reactions are directed not only on the
choice of Kåre Willoch, but also to Audun Lysbakken. The party he leads
is in favor of a policy that will end the world’s only Jewish state.
- The composition of the program is at
best tasteless and unmusical, according to Jan Rødner Benjamin, director
of Miff and member of the Jewish community in Oslo.
- It is very provoking that people that
so utterly appear as opponents of significant Jewish interests are
invited to a program to remember – in a positive way for the victims –
persecution of Jews during World War II, says Rødner.
He believes that a significant majority
of Norwegian Jews perceive SV and Willoch policies not only critical of
Israel, but Israel-hostile.
- If their policy was to be followed, it would lead to the destruction of Israel as we know it, says Rødner.
- When we consider that the lack of a
Jewish state was a major reason why the Jews were arrested and sent out
of Norway to die in concentration camps, it is outrageous that these two
people will speak, saying Rødner.
- Similarly, the commemoration of Kristallnacht in Oslo was destroyed a few years ago when it was used by SOS Racism, he adds.
The criticism
Miff.no have received access to an
e-mail where a member of the organizing committee defends the choice of
Kåre Willoch speaking. The e-mail was sent to a citizen of the city of
Bergen going to boycott the event.
- We have deliberately omitted to make the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians a component of this celebration because it is a conflict that splits and does not uniite, writes Gunnar Wiederstrøm.
He further writes:
‘Over the years we have had appellants and speakers with quite different views on the state of Israel. Two years ago, the then county governor Svein Alsaker gave a speech. He has been a sworn friend of Israel throughout his adult life and in his speech he included a strong solidarity with Israel.Another strong friend of Israel, Jo Benkow, held both an appeal and talks a few years back. Yes, I do not think we’ve had one appellant or speaker who is not hot a defender of the right of Israel to live within secure borders. But we also had appellants and lecturers over the years with far more critical attitude to how Israel seeks security, thus Kåre Willoch is not in a unique position.It disappoint me that friends of Israel cannot exercise more tolerance towards people who may be critical of parts of the policies practiced by Israel. In some circles, unfrotunately, one seeks to equate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism and so place Kåre Willoch and others in the booth with some of history’s worst.”
1 comment:
"It disappoint me that friends of Israel cannot exercise more tolerance towards people who..."
wish to wipe Israel from the map.
(FIFY)
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