Monica Csango, célèbre journaliste norvégienne, et le fait de cacher sa judaïté

La célèbre journaliste norvégienne Monica Csango a toujours caché qu'elle était juive. Elle est d'origine hongroise et une partie de sa famille a été exterminée.  Ses parents lui ont appris qu'elle était juive à l'âge de six ans lors d'un voyage en Espagne.  Nous sommes nombreux à être dans ce cas - cacher, cacher, cacher cette honte et à cette cette honte s'ajoute la honte d'avoir peur! Dans un article, Monica Csango explique, par exemple, qu'elle ne participe jamais à des débats sur l'antisémitisme et l'Holocauste, car au cours de ces débats, on entend souvent l'accusation qu'il est impossible de parler avec  un Juif sans qu'il ne vous sorte la carte de l'Holocauste. Elle a du mal à répondre à son fils, dont le père n'est pas juif, quand il lui demande ce que ça signifie d'être Juif. Elle a peur que quelqu'un ait entendu son enfant prononcer le mot J...  Culturellement elle est attachée au judaïsme. Monica Csango précise néanmoins qu'elle n'approuve pas la politique du gouvernement israélien et qu'elle considère que ce qui se passe en Israël n'est pas son problème - car elle est avant tout norvégienne. Mais les Norvégiens n'en ont cure.  Elle reconnaît qu'il "n'a jamais été sans risque de dire qu'on est juif".  Et elle agit comme les deux générations qui l'ont précédée.  Ils cachaient qu'ils étaient juifs car ils avaient honte.  Son témoignage est à mettre en parallèle avec celui d'une autre femme, non médiatisée et qui anime le blog Norway, Israel and the Jews, et qui a laissé une vie confortable en Norvège pour s'installer en Israël.

aftenposten.no article traduit par Norway, Israel and the Jews: Norwegian successful journalist has something to hide; her Jewishness.  Extraits:

"A few years ago, something happened that would turn things upside down for me. My son went to the Jewish kindergarten in Oslo. My mother and the child’s father, who is not Jewish, would deliver the two-year old in kindergarten. As they were handing him an adult Norwegian woman stood on the street. She spits on the ground and says "yuck" while she is watching the two, standing there with the boy on her arm. Not long afterwards, I decided to take my son out of the kindergarten. Not only because of the lady but because I experienced as too risky to have my son there. I had in fact every day had to pass a security gate. For both the church and the Police Security Service knows that nursery area is a terrorist target . The Jewish community knows that someone does not like them – and maybe not me.

For an unknown reason, there are only 1,500 Jews in Norway. Thus, there are very few Norwegians who know a person of Jewish descent.


If you go past the synagogue on major holidays, police surveillance is there. If it can avert something I do not know.  I can only hope that it acts as a deterrent for those who would like to perpetrate a terrorist act against the congregation.

Later I learned that some Norwegian Jews have been equipped with security alarms due to severe threats.  I read about people on social media agitating aggressively against the few Jews who are in this country.

A comprehensive study of the Holocaust Centre showed that about 12.5 percent of the Norwegian population has distinct prejudice against Jews.  After the study was published , I was even more quiet.

I never participate in debates about anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, because I feel that the debate often makes irrelevant arguments such that "you can not argue with a Jew without pulling up the holocaust card".

As a journalist , I have on several occasions interviewed Norwegians obvious objections to Jews. Nor did I say the cultural and religious affiliation I have.

I find it difficult to answer when my son asks what it means to be Jewish. I look over my shoulder to see if anyone has heard him say "J-word".

I have completely stopped saying that I am Jewish if the topic comes up. I’m too scared. But why should I be afraid? I was born and raised in Norway. I am not religious. Do I believe in God? I do not know. I believe in Man? Yes, I do. I don’t support Israels policy in the Palestinian issue. What Israel does is not my business. My affiliation remains crystal clear : I am Norwegian .

But I have a cultural connection to being Jewish.

And right now I see that I am about to do the same as two generations before me did: We kept secret that we were Jewish. We were ashamed.  I’m about to be intimidated into silence. It makes me infinitely sad.