Figure 1.--Here we see a Jewish business in Norway that had been seized by the Germans. It has bee dated December 1940, but 1942 might be more likely. Details were explained on the printed broasdide pasted on the builing. The message painted in the door reads, "Jøde parasitten skaffet oss 9de April." That means something like, "The Jewish parasites got it 9th of April." April 9 was the day the Germans invaded Norway. The message on the other window reads,"Palestina kaller på alle jøder. Vi tåler dem ikke mer i Norge!" That means, "Palestine calls for all Jews. We can't stand them any more in Norway!)

Norway is a small country. It also had a small Jewish population. The Jewish population in 1940 totaled about 2,100 people, about 1,500-1,600 were Norwegian citizens. The Norwegian Jews were largely concentrated in Oslo and to a lesser extent Trondheim. The NAZIs after conquering Norway intalled Vidkun Quisling to head a puppet Government. Quisling also confiscated Jewish property and immediatey ordered the Norwegian police to begin arresting male Jews over 15 years old. The police took the male Jews of Oslo to Bredveit prison. They were then sent to the Berg internment camp near Tonsberg over the next 2 weeks. The women and children were arrested soon after (November 25). Virtuallyall those transported were killed, mostly at Auschwitz. About half of Norway's Jews were saved by the Norwegian underground, which helped them reach neutral Sweden which took them in. This saved about 900 Jews. The underground operation was conducted at great danger.

Norwegian Jews

Norway is a small country. It also had a small Jewish population. The Jewish population in 1940 totaled about 2,100 people, about 1,500-1,600 were Norwegian citizens. The Norwegian Jews were largely concentrated in Oslo and to a lesser extent Trondheim.

NAZI Invasion (April 1940)

After invading Denmark, the NAZIs launchd a surprise invasion of Norway. Paratroops and quislings played a major ole in the German success. The invasion was meant to block a planned Anglo-French attempt to secire the country. The Germans lost most of their destroyers in process. The royal family managed to elude capture by minutes. The NAZI success was important, not only in scuring Norwegian raw materials (especially iron ore), but also because it made it more difficult to bottle up the U-boat fleet in the Baltic and North Sea. In the end, this proved of little consequence when France fell, opening up French Atlantic ports. Norway proved valuable to the NAZIs after the invasion of thge Soviet Union. NAZI bases in Norway made trying to run convoys to Murmansk with wr spplies for the Soviets a costly effort.

Norwegian Quislings

The NAZIs intalled Vidkun Quisling to head a puppet Norwegian Government. His treason has come into the English language, "quisling" meaning a treason puppet ruler. Quisling headed the Nasjonal Samling (NS), the Norwegian fascist party which supported the German occupation.

Confiscation of Property

The NAZI Quisling Government enacted a law confiscating Jewish property (October 26, 1942). The Quisling Government quickly appointed a 'Liquidation Board of Confiscated Jewish Assets' (October 1942). The Board used bankruptsy as a means of rapidly dealing with Jewish assetts. As Norewegian Jews were qyuickly arrested (October-November), their hmes and businesses were left vacant or unmanged. The Board treated all Jewish individals and business as bankrupt. Under Norwegian law, bankrupt assetts could be sold to cover debts. The Board sold off Jewish assets. While Jewish estates were liquidated, they continued to exist as legal entities. This allowed expenses to be levied against them. This practice unfortunely continued after liberation, adversely affecting the Norwegian Jews who survived and found themnselves responsible for these debts. The seized assetts were put to various use. All gold and silver objects and wristwatches were given to the German security police. Quisling wanted to maintain good relations with the SS. Tere were some German Jews in Norway. The assets of Jews from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia were turned over to German authorities. The Board by the time of liberation (April 1945) had used about 30 percent of the proceded frm te Jewish property for its own administration, meaning salkaries and other benefits for the Board members as well as benefits to other favored memmbers of the Quisling regime.

Arrests

Quisling also ordered the Norwegian police to begin arresting male Jews over 15 years old (October 25). The police ably assiste by the SN Hirden arrested the male Jews of Oslo and held them in Bredveit prison. They were then sent to the Berg internment camp near Tonsberg over the next 2 weeks. The women and children were arrested soon after (November 25). About half of Norway's Jews were saved by the Norwegian underground, which helped them reach neutral Sweden which took them in. This saved about 900 Jews. The Norwegians were not as successful as the Danes, who got almost all of their Jews safely to Sweden. The underground operation was conducted at great danger.

Deportment

The transports to Germany began as the same time the police started arresting Jewish women and children (November 1942). There were four major transports. There were 769 Norwegian Jews deported. The first deportments were aboard the vessel Donau. About 530 Jews, including men from the Berg camp as well as women and children who had been arrested that very morning, were loaded on the ship (November 25, 1942) . The Donau reached Stettin in a few dys (November 30). The men and women (children stayed with the women) were separated into two different trains and transported to Auschwitz. Almost no one survived. The next deportment was aboard the Monte Rosa. These Jews also were transported to Auschwitz. They arrived (Decemmber 9, 1942). Only 29 of the deportees survived. There were also 21 Jews who were killed or committed suicide in Norway.

Sources

Cohen, Maynard. A Stand Against Tyranny: Norway’s Physicians and the Holocaust (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1997)

Ulstein, Ragnar. Svensketrafikken: Flyktinger till Sverige 1940-43 (Oslo: Samlaget, 1974).

Created: January 17, 2004
Last updated: 7:00 AM 4/11/2018