But you see, Mr. Lidegaard, Danish Jews are seen as "special" by your latest imported guests -- just as they are in every other European country where Muslims attack them to joyous howls of "Allahu akbar" -- whether or not certain Danes want this to be true. I fear your need to "avoid escalation" by ignoring the facts will simply result in a callous metric of "acceptable losses" among Danish Jews. A synogogue vandalized here, two or three Jewish children shot there, a few women shopping for the Sabbath murdered . . .
2
I am Jewish and think that because so few Jews do anything to fight against Israel's atrocious behavior, it is only reasonable that we should all expect to be blamed.
59
Most interesting is the number (or lack of numbers) of comments to this article. Apparently concern for and/or fighting antisemitism, wherever it occurs, is not the 'in' thing to do lately. Kind of shameful.
151
True.
38
When the author states, "Jewish leaders have emphasized the dangers of exclusion, prejudice and intolerance." is he referring to the Muslim Danes? All Muslims for that matter? I'm being sarcastic. He misguidedly means Danish people who want to preserve their heritage and way of life. To do so, is not intolerant, racist or forcing exclusion. It is the Muslims who are intolerant, demanding to recreate their old homelands in a new host culture and who segregate themselves. Basta!
133
Denmark is a wonderful country dealing with problems related to non-assimilated immigrants who have not accepted the social contract of a secular democracy. Good answers will be hard to come by as long as significant portions of the immigrant population embrace a view of their personal faith that is intolerant of those who are different.
The Jewish population of Europe has some hard choices to make & I do not envy them. Stay in a climate that pushes some very real buttons of deja vu or migrate, but to where? Israel has issues of it's own internally & externally that very rarely get discussed in US media. As the Levant/Middle East becomes more politically & socially unstable and immoderate, I would not feel very good about long term prospects regarding living in Israel.
It may be politically incorrect to say so, but the larger Islamic world needs to go through it's own version of the reformation. Many Muslims may lead peaceful & tolerant lives in many countries, but far more than a few do not & that does not bode well for peace and stability for Israel or people of Jewish heritage in many places.
I wil leave the unsustainability of Palestinian policy issues alone, but Israel has other internal issues. Why would a Reform, Conservative or Secular Jew want to move to a country where hyper-orthodox communities want to roll back the clock & are intolerant of differences even within the Jewish faith? Netanyahu has no good answer.
If you wish to migrate, come to America.
The Jewish population of Europe has some hard choices to make & I do not envy them. Stay in a climate that pushes some very real buttons of deja vu or migrate, but to where? Israel has issues of it's own internally & externally that very rarely get discussed in US media. As the Levant/Middle East becomes more politically & socially unstable and immoderate, I would not feel very good about long term prospects regarding living in Israel.
It may be politically incorrect to say so, but the larger Islamic world needs to go through it's own version of the reformation. Many Muslims may lead peaceful & tolerant lives in many countries, but far more than a few do not & that does not bode well for peace and stability for Israel or people of Jewish heritage in many places.
I wil leave the unsustainability of Palestinian policy issues alone, but Israel has other internal issues. Why would a Reform, Conservative or Secular Jew want to move to a country where hyper-orthodox communities want to roll back the clock & are intolerant of differences even within the Jewish faith? Netanyahu has no good answer.
If you wish to migrate, come to America.
111
All told there are 2,400 Jews in Denmark, although there may be more.
http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/communities/show/id/96
Over the years some 1,500 have emigrated to Israel and seem to have done fine.
With such a small community in Denmark and surrounding hostility, they have, in spite of good intentions, no long-term viable future.
http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/communities/show/id/96
Over the years some 1,500 have emigrated to Israel and seem to have done fine.
With such a small community in Denmark and surrounding hostility, they have, in spite of good intentions, no long-term viable future.
37
Why would a Reform, Conservative or Secular Jew want to move to a country where hyper-orthodox communities want to roll back the clock & are intolerant of differences.
you mean the evangelicals here?
you mean the evangelicals here?
85
Abstract, pie-in-the-sky, self-congratulatory, left-wing hogwash. This will keep happening in Denmark until the authorities get off their cloud and start deal with the real world on its own terms. I honestly hope the mainstream parties do that before anti-immigrant populists have to.
57
" While anti-Semitism isn’t widespread in Denmark, there are a number of radicalized second- and third-generation immigrants who project the Israeli-Palestinian conflict onto local Jews, and see any Jew as a representative of Israel. This creates a latent threat of violence against Jews"
Unfortunately this is the case of all european countries with a strong muslim population.
let's not forget that Denmark also has a legal neo-nazi party, they don't represent much but they do exist.
Unfortunately this is the case of all european countries with a strong muslim population.
let's not forget that Denmark also has a legal neo-nazi party, they don't represent much but they do exist.
39
as do we. its the outcome of a free society. People can say what they wish - actions are the real issue
28
How? By not allowing muslim immigration. Be proud of and protect your European heritage. Be the *opposite* of Sweden, that lost nation trying desperately to turn itself into a state better suited for the Middle East.
62
Muslims saved the jews in Spain and did not slaughter 6 million innocent jews as civilized Christian Europe did.
70
The past history of Denmark and the Jews is indeed laudable, especially when compared with the rest of Europe, and particularly with their Scandinavian neighbors Norway and Sweden.
However, the author seems to downplay the problematical and dangerous rising trend of anti-Semitism in Denmark. This "pooh poohing attitude" seems to be indicative of Denmark in general. "We should breath calmly" says the mayor of Copenhagen re re incidents of rising anti-Semitism in his city.
http://tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/128077/hiding-judaism-in-c...
Breath calmly, or stick one's head in the sand. In the end the result is the same in spite of the best of intentions.
However, the author seems to downplay the problematical and dangerous rising trend of anti-Semitism in Denmark. This "pooh poohing attitude" seems to be indicative of Denmark in general. "We should breath calmly" says the mayor of Copenhagen re re incidents of rising anti-Semitism in his city.
http://tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/128077/hiding-judaism-in-c...
Breath calmly, or stick one's head in the sand. In the end the result is the same in spite of the best of intentions.
38
History shows us that times of rapid social & societal change are usually accompanied by right wing & reactionary political responses. I am not defending it, but it does follow a known historical trend.
Europe opened it's doors to many migrants who were not only ethnically and culturally different- they were of a faith largely foreign to the host nations. Europe has also done a rather poor job of assimilating these people into the larger culture & getting them to accept western tolerance of differences of faith or unbelief. There are exceptions, but in the aggregate the problems have been coming for some time.
Many natives of EU member countries have seen major upheaval in their lives almost unprecedented in modern history. Massive internal migration within the Eurozone, a growing non-white & non-Christian migrant population, and an ever growing illegal migrant problem has disturbed many people. The people native to these countries have low birth rates & see migrants with high birth rates and low rates of assimilation as a threat to their culture- rightly or wrongly.
When I lived in Europe I had many discussions over politics with locals over cups of coffee or glasses of beer. Many who threw America's racial history in my face like a trump card were not happy when I mentioned the obvious problems with non-assimilated migrants in many parts of Europe and this was 30 years ago.
The nations of Europe and the EU have some work to do regarding assimilation.
Europe opened it's doors to many migrants who were not only ethnically and culturally different- they were of a faith largely foreign to the host nations. Europe has also done a rather poor job of assimilating these people into the larger culture & getting them to accept western tolerance of differences of faith or unbelief. There are exceptions, but in the aggregate the problems have been coming for some time.
Many natives of EU member countries have seen major upheaval in their lives almost unprecedented in modern history. Massive internal migration within the Eurozone, a growing non-white & non-Christian migrant population, and an ever growing illegal migrant problem has disturbed many people. The people native to these countries have low birth rates & see migrants with high birth rates and low rates of assimilation as a threat to their culture- rightly or wrongly.
When I lived in Europe I had many discussions over politics with locals over cups of coffee or glasses of beer. Many who threw America's racial history in my face like a trump card were not happy when I mentioned the obvious problems with non-assimilated migrants in many parts of Europe and this was 30 years ago.
The nations of Europe and the EU have some work to do regarding assimilation.
48
The author writes, "there are a number of radicalized second- and third-generation immigrants who project the Israeli-Palestinian conflict onto local Jews, and see any Jew as a representative of Israel. This creates a latent threat of violence against Jews."
Indeed. Doesn't this imply that the key to protecting the security of Danish Jews is to change these attitudes? The Danish government should be telling Muslim citizens of Denmark that they are not parties to the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbours; that anti-Semitism is wrong and is incompatible with Danish civic values; and last but not least, that their loathing of Israel is excessive and needs to be moderated.
Since the threat to the safety of Jews in Denmark and other European states is located primarily in Muslim immigrant communities, that is also where efforts to palliate that threat need to be concentrated.
Indeed. Doesn't this imply that the key to protecting the security of Danish Jews is to change these attitudes? The Danish government should be telling Muslim citizens of Denmark that they are not parties to the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbours; that anti-Semitism is wrong and is incompatible with Danish civic values; and last but not least, that their loathing of Israel is excessive and needs to be moderated.
Since the threat to the safety of Jews in Denmark and other European states is located primarily in Muslim immigrant communities, that is also where efforts to palliate that threat need to be concentrated.
98
Too many times migrants do not want to leave the old country they have fled behind and bring their political baggage with them. I guess it is just another facet of the tendencies of humans.
I remember Greek and Turkish guest workers fighting each other after public demonstrations in Germany that had NOTHING to do with Germany. One side would get a permit to hold a protest and the others would show up and a brawl would ensue, bringing out the Polizei in the Green Vans. This was a common enough thing that we were given instructions on how to handle such things during our in-processing training from the US Army.
While it is OK to be proud of one's ancestral culture it is not OK to project it upon your new adopted culture. Allowing migrants to ghettoize themselves- voluntarily or otherwise- is not a formula for successful assimilation. It is also wise to be culturally sensitive, but not to change the host culture to accommodate migrants who wish to project their dogmas upon others.
I remember Greek and Turkish guest workers fighting each other after public demonstrations in Germany that had NOTHING to do with Germany. One side would get a permit to hold a protest and the others would show up and a brawl would ensue, bringing out the Polizei in the Green Vans. This was a common enough thing that we were given instructions on how to handle such things during our in-processing training from the US Army.
While it is OK to be proud of one's ancestral culture it is not OK to project it upon your new adopted culture. Allowing migrants to ghettoize themselves- voluntarily or otherwise- is not a formula for successful assimilation. It is also wise to be culturally sensitive, but not to change the host culture to accommodate migrants who wish to project their dogmas upon others.
75
The cause of the problem articulated here is quite simple. Repeat after me....Mass. Muslim. Immigration. Any questions?
95
I have always been baffled by Scandinavians' frequent, sometimes shrill insistence that they are colorblind, not racist, etc. I always thought: Hey Scandinavuan people, if you're not racist, then why are you squirming in your seat when people mention it? Then I read Knausgaard's NYTimes piece on Jante law-- and then this piece-- and it clicked.
Jante law is this idea, in Scandinavian culture, that no one is special and no one should stand out. And you can see that in this author's rather shocking final paragraph: she is more concerned with outward unity than with safety.
So here's what clicked for me: The Scandinavian discomfort with race (hence their insistence that they don't see it) is part a more general phenomenon: the Scandinavian discomfort with differences between people.
Great intercultural mystery solved, QED.
Jante law is this idea, in Scandinavian culture, that no one is special and no one should stand out. And you can see that in this author's rather shocking final paragraph: she is more concerned with outward unity than with safety.
So here's what clicked for me: The Scandinavian discomfort with race (hence their insistence that they don't see it) is part a more general phenomenon: the Scandinavian discomfort with differences between people.
Great intercultural mystery solved, QED.
20
If the other countries had not shared in anti-Semitism, had protested the yellow armbands and everything that went with it, how different things would have been. So sad that with only 14 million Jews left on the planet, people still detest them, not even realizing that Judaism is religion, not a race.
42
In my reading in newspaper and magazine articles of recent vintage there are far more than 14 million Jews left on the planet. If memory serves there are about that many in the US alone and about the same number in Israel- that would add up to 28 million. Then factor in the diaspora located elsewhere...
Way more than 14 million.
Way more than 14 million.
11
We in the US who are still brought to tears when we think of the unspeakable horrors committed during the Nazi holocaust are equally brought to hesitant smiles of joy when reminded that Danes were among the first victims of Hitler's mad policy and that they did their best to protect their Jewish neighbors from it. One hopes that such steadfast rationality and emotional maturity has not degenerated into faddish support for Green silliness or neo-Marxist mania. Get behind NATO and do your duty.
16
These days, viewing European attitudes toward Jews country by country is too broad a sweep. Antisemitism is no longer government policy. But all European countries have a dark side. The Poles are often maligned. Historian Norman Davies says unfairly so. Anywhere you go in Europe, you'll find a full spectrum of attitudes. If you put Poles in one camp and Danes in another you make lots of mistakes. Prejudging nationalities is a lot like the prejudice behind antisemitism. Better to judge folks one by one.
19
I was sad to learn the King really didn't wear the Star of David. I really thought that did happen. However, I'm grateful for the way Danes have treated Jews which makes the Danes special people.
62
The world's Jewish communities are integral parts of many nations. They enjoy the rights of citizenship equal to all other citizens. They respect law and order. They contribute greatly and are valued citizens.
There should be no need to "guard" such Jewish communities.
It is shameful that these people's lives are being affected by the policies and actions of the current and recent extremist governments of Israel.
There should be no need to "guard" such Jewish communities.
It is shameful that these people's lives are being affected by the policies and actions of the current and recent extremist governments of Israel.
31
Does Bibi do anything right?
Leave Europe terrorized, in flight?
And a tactless speech planned
In this divided land,
In Denmark, insult at its height!
Leave Europe terrorized, in flight?
And a tactless speech planned
In this divided land,
In Denmark, insult at its height!
36
Bibi might be tackless - in fact he often is. In fact I'd go beyond that and say Bibi can be outright maddening.
But he isn't necessarily wrong. This is true of his warnings about the Iranian nuclear project as well.
People don't want to hear what he says but the threats are there and they are real, and they don't just involve Israel and/or the Jewish people, but the very nature and fabric of our secular, civil societies.
We shouldn't have to have armies guarding synagogues and newspapers. We shouldn't have to listen to rants claiming that "Hitler was right" or demanding, "Jews to the gas" but we're hearing it.
But he isn't necessarily wrong. This is true of his warnings about the Iranian nuclear project as well.
People don't want to hear what he says but the threats are there and they are real, and they don't just involve Israel and/or the Jewish people, but the very nature and fabric of our secular, civil societies.
We shouldn't have to have armies guarding synagogues and newspapers. We shouldn't have to listen to rants claiming that "Hitler was right" or demanding, "Jews to the gas" but we're hearing it.
100
The sixth paragraph from the end is a very important one (perhaps the most important one in this entire piece). The author alludes to the anti-Semitic behavior of modern Muslim immigrants as different (and I believe that he is correct) from the anti-Semitic behavior of their Fascist/Nazi predecessors.
With many of those who practice "Radical Islam" of an apocalyptic bent, reasoning with them is practically impossible. Therefore, what worked in the past may not work well now. Hence Prime Minister Netanyahu's words.
With many of those who practice "Radical Islam" of an apocalyptic bent, reasoning with them is practically impossible. Therefore, what worked in the past may not work well now. Hence Prime Minister Netanyahu's words.
73
Thank you, Mr. Lidegaard, for this important and beautifully written piece.
70
The author asks the question: "...how do we provide for special protection when nobody wants the Jewish minority to be seen as special? How can we protect not only the security of Jews and Jewish institutions, but also their traditional position as a well-integrated part of Danish society?"
His answer: "The key is to address directly the extremism and the radicalization leading to threats against Jews, cartoonists and others targeted by violent extremists without erecting walls and barriers."
Given this vague and non-specific 'pie in the sky' long-range solution, I don't think it appropriate for Danes (including presumably this author) to reject out-of-hand Netanyahu's alternative solution.
His answer: "The key is to address directly the extremism and the radicalization leading to threats against Jews, cartoonists and others targeted by violent extremists without erecting walls and barriers."
Given this vague and non-specific 'pie in the sky' long-range solution, I don't think it appropriate for Danes (including presumably this author) to reject out-of-hand Netanyahu's alternative solution.
57
If all nations behaved as the Danes , this world would be better and maybe conflict could ebb
97