Volume 4 No 1 - Journal for the Study of Antisemitism

2012] DOUBLE GERSTENFELD 319
past and continuing antisemitic activities in the present. Let me cite a few
brief instances:
Denmark: “. . . the increasing indifference toward Holocaust victims . . .
the state-run Department for Holocaust and Genocide of the Danish Institute
for International Studies decided, regarding the annual Auschwitz
Day ceremony, not to commemorate or even mention the Jewish victims
of Danish expulsions” (199)—Vilhálmur Örn Viljálmsson and Bent
Blüdnikow.
Denmark: “The issue of Denmark’s wartime collaboration with the Nazis
may be much more substantial that has been acknowledged until now.
Unopened archives may contain the names of about three hundred thousand
Nazis or Nazi sympathizers . . . much of Denmark’s industry and
agriculture collaborated with the Nazis, and . . . twelve thousand Danes
actually fought with the Germans against the Russians” (64-65)—Manfred
Gerstenfeld.
Finland: “A few years ago, it became known that Finland had handed
over Soviet prisoners of war—among them a number of Jews—to the
Germans during World War II. Finland’s wartime past regarding the Jews
is worse than usually portrayed” (209)—Serah Beizer.
Iceland: “The situation for Jewish refugees in 1930s Iceland was generally
worse than for other foreigners . . . The Jews were simply not welcome
in this country . . . Jews in Iceland experienced open anti-Semitism
before the issue of Israel and the Middle East conflict emerged” (222,
223, 233)—Viljálmur Örn Viljálmsson.
Norway: “In principle, the Norwegian law and constitution grant freedom
of religion to everyone. In practice, the one exception is the Jews. Norway
is one of the few countries in the world where shechita [ritual
slaughtering] is banned . . . In Norway . . . the ban was introduced three
years before the Nazis took power in Germany and continues until today,
whereas hallal [Muslim ceremonial slaughter] is permitted” (143) —Erez
Uriely.
Sweden: “Sweden remains only one of the few countries in the world that
refuse, in principle, to investigate suspected Holocaust perpetrators,
regardless of their being Swedish citizens or not, and the places where
they are suspected of having committed their wartime crimes” (116)—
Efraim Zuroff.
If “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty [or freedom],” 9 then for
Jews especially and others who support them, including governments and
9. Not earth-shaking, to be sure, but the actual authorship of both of these
versions is somewhat contested. Among the suggested authors are Irish politician
John Philpot Curran (1750-1817), African-American journalist Ida B. Wells (1862-