Ben David, Noa; (2023) Jewish Reactions to Antisemitism in Norway, 1945-1983. Masters thesis (M.A), University of Bergen.

Preview

Text HIS350_115 assessed coursework.pdf - Published Version Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

This master’s thesis in history explores Jewish reactions to antisemitism in Norway between 1945-1983. The research questions of the study are: How did central actors in the Norwegian Jewish community define antisemitism between 1945-1983? Which strategies and methods were developed and used by community members to combat antisemitism? The study analyses diverse archival source material, including papers after individual actors and organisation papers, as well as press material, and qualitative interviews with members of the Norwegian Jewish community. The study comprises two empirical chapters focusing on two selected aspects of the discourse on antisemitism in postwar Norway: Nazi antisemitism in 1945-1978, and anti-Zionism in 1967-1983. The first empirical chapter discusses Norwegian Jewish reactions to trials of German Nazis and Norwegian collaborators in the National Legal Purge (Rettsoppgjøret) and includes a discussion on social inclusion alongside the challenges of rehabilitation in the immediate post war years. Furthermore, the chapter examines community reactions to the ‘Swastika Epidemic’ of 1960, and to the legal case against neo-Nazi Olav Hoaas in 1976. The second empirical chapter discusses Norwegian Jewish reactions to antisemitism associated with the emergence of the Norwegian anti–Zionist movement. How did the actors perceive the connection between anti-Zionism and antisemitism? What was the function of pro-Zionist activity in the struggle against antisemitism in Norway? Findings from the study show that members of the Norwegian Jewish community developed and used multifaceted strategies and methods to combat antisemitism after 1945. After the Holocaust, not all forms of exclusion and othering were defined as ‘antisemitism’, although the actors recognised different manifestations of anti-Jewish behaviour. Some of the actors examined in this study were leading figures in the Norwegian Jewish community, and others were activists against antisemitism in Norway as individuals. The actors reacted against discrimination as a form of social exclusion, for example in the form of discrimination in the application of the law. After 1967, the actors acknowledged anti-Zionism as a legitimate form of political discourse but recognised antisemitic components in certain anti-Zionist argumentation and fought against it through pro-Zionist activity. The study emphasises the strategies of self-organisation and successful alliance with non-Jewish actors in the fight against antisemitism in Norway. Moreover, it proposes the integrationist function of combatting antisemitism, and stresses the significance of combatting antisemitism as a fight towards a diverse, democratic society.

Download activity - last month

Export as CSVJSONXML

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as XMLCSVJSON

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as CSVJSONXML

Archive Staff Only

View Item