Norway: Jewish Museum Opens in Oslo

Norway: Jewish Museum Opens in Oslo

On September 9, 2008, a new Jewish Museum in Oslo, Norway, officially opened in a the historic former Calmeyer's Gate synagogue, which was mostly destroyed by the Nazis during World War II. Its remains have been used as a frame for the new building in an area where many of the first Jewish immigrants to Oslo settled in the late 19th century. Sidsel Levin is the director of the new museum.

The Jewish Museum in Oslo (JMO) was established in March 2004 in collaboration with the OsloCity Museum, but its origin is in an exhibition organized in 1992 at the Oslo City Museum, celebrating the centenary of Det Mosaiske Trossamfund (The Mosaic Community of Norway).

The museum seeks to collect and preserve objects and memories of Jewish history and culture in Norway, emphasizing immigration and integration from 1851 to the present.

There is also a Jewish Museum in Trondheim.

The opening of the museum was attended by Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, the defense and culture ministers, and the Israeli ambassador to Norway. The museum's opening exhibition presents the story of how Norwegian Jews have influenced cultural life in Norway and opposition to the German occupation during World War II.

Click here for more about Jewish heritage sites in Norway from Jewish-Heritage-Europe.eu