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HISTORY ''See also History Of Norway '' Norwegians converted from Paganism to Christianity in the course of nearly 100 years, largely as a result of coercive measures. In the year 1000 , all non-Christians were banned from Norway in an effort to institutionalize Christianity as the national religion. Although the ban was presumably targeted at pagan adherents, it also put Norway out of bounds for Jews for over 800 years. Although there likely were Jewish merchants, sailors and others who entered Norway during the next several hundred years, no efforts were made to establish a Jewish community in Norway. Ruled by a series of Norwegian, Swedish , and Danish kings in combination with either Denmark or Sweden, public policy against non-Christians was in large part dictated by royal edict. The first known mention of Jews in public documents relates to the admissibility of so-called "Portuguese Jews" ( Sephardi m) that had been Expelled from Spain and Portugal in 1492 and 1498 . Some of these were given special dispensation to enter Norway. Christian IV of Denmark-Norway gave Jews limited rights to travel within the kingdom, and in 1641 , Ashkenazi Jews were given equivalent rights. Christian V rescinded these privileges in 1687 , specifically banning Jews from Norway, unless they were given a special dispensation. Jews found in the kingdom were jailed and expelled. This ban persisted for 150 years. In 1814 , Norway Signed Its First Constitution that included in its second paragraph a general ban against Jews and Jesuits entering the country. In principle, Portuguese Jews were exempt from this ban, but it appears that few applied for a letter of free passage. When Norway entered into the Personal Union of Sweden-Norway , the ban against Jews was upheld, though Sweden at that point had several Jewish communities. In ’s §2, entitled to dwell in this country, which is also, to {Link without Title} knowledge, what has hitherto been assumed."'' After tireless efforts by the poet Henrik Wergeland , the Norwegian parliament lifted the ban against Jews in 1851 and they were awarded religious rights on par with Christian "dissenters." In 1852 , the first Jew landed in Norway to settle, but it wasn't until 1892 that there were enough Jews to form a Synagogue in Oslo . The Jewish community grew slowly until World War II and peaked at about 1,800. During the Nazi rule under the Nazi Occupation Of Norway , nearly all Jews were either deported to Death Camp s or fled to Sweden and beyond. Records show that during the Holocaust , 758 Norwegian Jews were murdered by the Nazis—mostly in Auschwitz , and many of the refugees did not return to Norway. Many Jews who had fled Norway during the war did not return, and in 1946 , there were 559 Jews in Norway. TODAY There are about 1,500 Jews in Norway today, of which the largest portion live in Oslo . There is a small community and synagogue in Trondheim , and others living around the country. Norwegian Jews are well integrated into Norwegian society. A former president of parliament, Jo Benkow is Jewish, as are other prominent Norwegians. In 1997 , the Norwegian government commissioned a study on the disposition of Jewish assets that had been stolen by the Nazis and expropriated by the post-War Norwegian government. The commission was split in its findings, with the minority view holding that the value of the assets should be measured using commonly accepted financial principles. The government sided with the minority view. The award is being divided for three purposes: #The formation of a national museum for tolerance; #Funds to sustain the Jewish community in Norway; and #Compensation to individuals and their survivors. ANTI-SEMITISM IN NORWAY Religious and ethnic tolerance is a strongly held value in Norwegian public life, though it may be safe to assume that residual Anti-Semitism has persevered in private circles. To the extent that anti-Semitism can be associated with Nazism , the mainstream Norwegian Political Environment has strongly adopted a platform that rejects it. On the other hand, widespread hostility to Israel for its policy towards Palestinians has, in the last few years, led to a blurring of the lines between Anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Mainstream organizations that are critical to Israel policies reject the Accusation that anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are related, and the issue remains mostly unexamined in the public debate. EXTERNAL LINKS
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