The Oslo Jewish Museum () aims to inform about Jews in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. It was established as a foundation in 2003, supported by
Det Mosaiske Trossamfund
The Det Mosaiske Trossamfund (DMT), as known as the Jewish Community of Oslo, is an umbrella organization representing Norwegian Jews. The organization is Orthodox, but welcomes non-Orthodox and secular Jews.
About
All Norwegian Jews who are Jew ...
and
Oslo City Museum
Oslo City Museum (''Oslo Bymuseum'') is a department of Oslo Museum in Oslo, Norway since 2006. The museum is located at Frogner Manor (''Frogner Hovedgård'') in Frogner Park (''Frognerparken'').
The museum was first founded in 1905 as t ...
.
The purpose of the museum is to collect, preserve, research, and communicate reliable knowledge about and increase understanding of the history of Jews in Norway, knowledge about Jewish culture, daily life, religious practices, and integration into Norwegian society. It also aims to serve as an inspiration for cultural activity, knowledge dissemination, and debate. The museum seeks to be a bridge-builder between Jewish communities and the wider society. The Jewish Museum in Oslo hosts lectures, concerts, temporary exhibitions, and other outward-facing cultural activities. The themes the museum address include Jewish culture, tradition, and history, as well as Judaism in general.
The museum was officially opened by
Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway (; Haakon Magnus; born 20 July 1973) is the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne. He is the only son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja.
Haakon represents the fourth generation of the sitting Norwegian royal famil ...
on September 8, 2008. The location was selected as one where there had been a substantial Jewish population. A
synagogue
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
stood on the same street from 1921 to 1942, and many of the Jews immigrating to Norway from the Baltics lived in the vicinity.
In 2014 the museum was nominated for ''Museumforbundets Museum of the Year Award—alongside
KODE and
Telemark Museum
The Telemark Museum is a museum in Telemark, Norway. It includes several buildings across Telemark and is headquartered in Kleiva in the older part of Skien in Telemark county, Norway. The main museum building is located within walking distance o ...
.
Kode er årets museum
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See also
* Trondheim Synagogue
The Trondheim Synagogue () is an Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Arkitekt Christies gate 1B, in Trondheim, Norway. Established as a congregation in June 1892, the present synagogue has served the Jewish community since its in ...
* Oslo Synagogue
The Oslo Synagogue () is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Oslo, in the St. Hanshaugen region of Norway. The Det Mosaiske Trossamfund congregation was established in 1892, but the present building was erected in 1920.
Ar ...
* History of the Jews in Norway
The history of Jews in Norway dates back to the 1400s. Although there were very likely Jewish merchants, sailors and others who entered Norway during the Middle Ages, no efforts were made to establish a Jewish community. Through the early mod ...
* The Holocaust in Norway
The German occupation of Norway began on 9 April 1940. In 1942, there were at least 2,173 Jews in Norway. At least 775 of them were arrested, detained and/or deported. More than half of the Norwegians who died in camps in Germany were Jews. 74 ...
References
External links
Oslo Jewish Museum
{{Authority control
Museums in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
Jews and Judaism in Oslo