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Sidsel levin
Former Director of the Jewish Museum in Oslo
From the time of refugee of the Levin family in Sweden during the war. Post author Sidsel Levin is a newborn. Sister Mona survived a dramatic escape from Norway with her mother, Solveig Levin. His father, the famous musician Robert Levin, fled a week earlier. Photo: Private
Marte Michelet cuts and misinterprets the sources so that the resistance fighters are portrayed as anti-Semites. Are you loyal to victims and survivors?
Debate
This is a discussion post. Opinions in the text are the responsibility of the writer.
In the recently published book Report a Review of What Did the Home Front Know? the ground is torn away under the critically acclaimed book by Mars Michelet What did the home front know? from 2018. In a sober and sober tone, the three historians Elise Berggren, Bjarte Bruland and Mats Tangestuen gradually break down Michelet’s claims.
Researchers’ detailed review of the extensive source material not only reveals a few individual errors. It also reveals how selectively Michelet has selected parts of the source’s statements, and has also made changes, to find support for his conclusions.
Michelet still claims that he views history from the side of the Jews. But where does she get that her one-sided accusations against the home front are a Jewish perspective?
History distortion
Is it loyal to Norwegian Jews to add words to the interpretation of the original sources to make it appear that Gunnar Sønsteby closed his routes to Jewish women?
Original sources that Michelet claims do not exist show that Sønsteby had contact with Jews in the resistance movement who organized the escape of other Jews, and that he also assisted in the escape of several Jews.
And is it loyal to victims and survivors to cut and misinterpret sources so that resistance fighters appear anti-Semitic by mistake? Do we need to create more of them? Weren’t they enough? Such writing of history only adds stones to the load.
The obstacles in Norway have introduced us to individual Jewish stories from around the country. Here are also reports of warnings and escape opportunities that in many cases, sadly, were not used.
Anxiety and fear, especially flight, consideration for children and the sick, parents arrested, reluctance to leave the home they had built, and faith in the homeland they had won in Norway, were some of the many. thoughts that, understandably, were held for far too long. .
Accusations against rescuers
The authors also thoroughly refute Michelet’s accusations against parts of the rescue service and individuals. She describes several as “speculators” and “blackmailers,” the very people that surviving Norwegian Jews have called their good helpers.
Michelet has given an excessive focus to the “money trail.” It has not been an issue for Jews after the war. They saved lives, escape operations cost money, and the payment could help save more people. It was not only the Jews who paid to escape.
I don’t want to be an alibi
Michelet’s strong personal approach overshadows the complexity of this entire story. The “book of reports” shows how font manipulation can distort our entire understanding of an extremely vulnerable story.
It is incomprehensible that the Gyldendal publishing house still dares to claim that Michelet has “changed our collective understanding of the Holocaust by seeing the tragedy of the Jews.” I myself don’t want to be an alibi for such a marketing strategy. This is very ugly now.
It is extremely unpleasant for us that we have grown up with the deep gratitude and lifelong friendship of parents and grandparents with their rescuers and women.
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