A REPORT FROM SCOTTISH FRIENDS OF ISRAEL WHICH I FORWARDED HAS PROVED TO BE INACCURATE. APOLOGIES, SFOI  ARE A USUALLY VERY RELIABLE OUTFIT. A CORRECTED VERSION IS BELOW.
BRIAN.
http://globetribune.info/?attachment_id=15004
Sometimes, comments on a web site can be at least as educational as the articles themselves. Tundra Tabloids is a blog with very intelligent and educated readers, one of whom took me to task for an articlke I translated and presented on my site. I am presenting his incisive criticism, as well as some of my own. Thank you Truthiocity of Tundra Tabloids.
First, Truthiocity points to the fact that” The link “Aftenposten reported on the exodus of Jews” actually goes to a Jerusalem Post article that quotes the Aftposten article. It’s not a link to the Aftposten article. That sort of thing is always fishy.”
Another thing that Truthiocity mentions is the fact that the 819 Jews listed in the article who are planning to leave are members of Norway’s two synagogies. Synagogue affiliated Jews comprise only 50% of all Jews in Norway, meaning that even if the article were totally accurate, “only” the synagogue affiliated Jews would leave, and therewould be about half of Norway’s current total of 1638 Jews still left in Norway.
Truthiocity also questions the veracity of the statement that all 819 identified Jews are planning to leaver Norway. DO they all have plane reservations? Or have they said that they want to leave, or are looking into leaving?
To muddy the waters even further, there are people who manage to hide their Jewish identity, and register as “unaffiliated” rather than declare themselves to be Jews. This is significant in countries in which people register their religious affiliation and have money deducted from their paycheck and donated to the faith of their choosing. I would be willing to guess that there are a few hundred “secret” Jews in Norway, as well as some self identified Jews whose Jewishness might be questioned by some other Jews, particularly if their mothers are not Jewish.
The fact remains that Norway is a country in which many Jews are afraid to publicly identify themselves as Jewish, adding a factor beyond that of assimilation feeding the decline in the number of Jews in Norway. Norway has been adamant in banning kosher slaughter within its borders. The law was openly motivated by an animus towards Judaism when it was passed in the 1890′s.
The importance of synagogues and a Jewish community to unaffiliated Jews can not be overstated. It is not unheard of for assimilated Jews to drop in on synagogue services or a lecture. Security measures that are so prevalent in Europe can intimidate unaffiliated Jews just as surely as they deter terrorism.
The facts that were left out of the article that I translated are significant in assessing the situation of Jews in Norway. Even with these clarificatiosn factored in, Norway remains a country where kosher slaughter is banned (but not Muslim slaughter) and Muslim Jew hatred is rampant. Unlike the US, hiding one’s Jewishness is often done out of fear, in a country that prides itself on being an “enlightened” socialist country.
Nevertheless, any inaccuracy in reporting on the Jewish situation in Norway should be clarified and corrected. In the future, when presenting an article, I will check the statistical methodology with greater thoroughness, out of respect to the rights of my readers to know the facts, and so that troubling situations will be properly heeded. Thank you Truthiocity, whose criticism came to me via Tundra Tabloids.