Another view of Norway
As a Norwegian who is not Jewish, living in Montreal, and married to a Canadian Jewish woman, I am happy that Gil Troy found Norway beautiful and that he describes most Norwegians as “hearty and friendly.” But, when he jumps to stating that “there was an undercurrent of anti-Semitism, not just anti-Israelism, which overshadowed our vacation,” I wonder what he is basing his statement on (“European anti-Zionism is actually anti-Jewish”).
My wife and I travelled in Norway this summer. We did observe the beautiful countryside and the high cost of wine, but failed to register the “undercurrent of anti-Semitism” that Troy is reporting.
When I was growing up in Norway in the 1950s and ’60s, there was near universal and strong support for the new State of Israel. However, during the ’70s, Norwegians were increasingly exposed to other sides of the conflict in the Middle East. In line with the country’s commitment to UN activities, no less than 20,000 Norwegian soldiers served in the UN’s UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon from 1978 to 1998. It has been widely documented and reported that the soldiers left Norway with strong sympathy for Israel, but became much more sympathetic to Palestinians during their stay.
This period became the turning point in most Norwegians’ attitudes to Israel and the Palestinians. Gradually, from being seen as a conflict between good and evil, it was being seen as a conflict between two groups of people that both have legitimate interests and concerns. To stamp this point of view as anti-Semitism is profoundly incorrect, but unfortunately not uncommon in Jewish circles.
Although Troy states that he would return to Norway, I am not quite sure why, given the “undercurrent of anti-Semitism” that he describes. I can only hope that most people will reject this unjustified labelling, and take a chance to find out for themselves by visiting Norway.
Bjorn U. Ellingsen
Montreal
Services can be enjoyable
It is disheartening when a rabbi such as Avi Finegold tells us that the Yom Kippur services are boring (“High Holiday services are stressful”).
To someone who is at home in the synagogue and has taken the trouble to find out ahead of time what the prayers are about, the liturgy is dramatic and poetic. Any cultural event needs some preparation to be fully enjoyed, which is why the classics are taught in schools. Otherwise we might go to Stratford to see Shakespeare only to see someone go on the stage and announce: “We have cut out the long boring speeches that have hard words in them, and instead we are all going to sing ‘Yabby-babby.’”
Rabbi Finegold might actually enjoy the particular boring bits he refers to (the Temple sacrifices) if he heard a trained cantor and choir perform one of the many dramatic musical settings that have thrilled generations of worshippers.
Charles Heller
Toronto
Changing attitudes aids Jews
I am sorry to hear that letter writer David Green (“Christians and Jews”) feels that the mass of Christians are subjecting him and his circle to anti-Semitism.
I was born in Toronto in the early 1950s and have witnessed a sea change in attitudes. I do not think that there has been a time with less Christian anti-Semitism, both systemic and indirect, than exists today. Growing up wearing a kippah in the Bathurst and Lawrence area was a totally different experience for me than it is today. Going by a Catholic school meant walking through a gauntlet of pennies, garbage and spitballs being hurled at me by the students. Entering a bowling alley after school with friends meant risking a beating by other kids. Going to a public school meant facing an administration hostile to Jews, being forced to take off your kippah and saying the Lord’s Prayer.
Orthodox shuls were full of congregants rushing in to say Yizkor on yom tov and then rushing off to work, as there was no concept of reasonable accommodation.
When I finished law school, none of the Jewish students in my class found employment in major law firms, and not because they were not qualified. To see a kippah on Bay Street or in court in the 1970s was a rare event.
I have worked for the last 36 years dealing with lawyers and clients of all religions and backgrounds and have never encountered anti-Semitism in the workplace. I would suggest that the picture Green paints may have been the story in the past, but is not representative of Toronto in 2015.
Morris Sosnovitch
Toronto