* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
“Shalom, Sivan, we are Renana and Tamar, two Israelis visiting Trondheim, Norway. We would like describe the unforgettable Shabbat we experienced here:
The synagogue in Trondheim was established 100 years ago and is Europe’s northernmost synagogue. The Jewish community here was almost completely destroyed during the Holocaust, but now the Jews here are returning to their faith.
Once a month the entire community gathers to observe Shabbat with prayers and meals under the leadership of the Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Joav Melchior, who comes here specifically for this purpose. The greatest challenge here (during the summer) is the sun, which almost never sets. They bring in Shabbat early and don’t do Havdalah until Sunday…
We met Ben, a Jew who didn’t identify much as a Jew until after October 7, when he began to feel isolated. Today he is one of the leaders of this Jewish community.
We also met Kelly, who recently decided to observe the laws of Taharat Hamishpacha (family purity), but since there is no mikveh here, she needs to fly to the capital city of Oslo.
They are also trying to connect the next generation to Judaism: On Shabbat there were seven children in the synagogue (which is a large group for them), who sang the prayer 'Anim Zemirot' at the end of the morning prayer service. It was very moving to hear.
It’s shocking to see a huge, magnificent synagogue that is almost completely empty. Those who have returned here sit for several hours on Shabbat morning with their siddur open. The rabbi and cantor keep telling them the page number and they make every effort to participate and follow along. They feel that they are making progress because a year ago they didn’t know how to pray at all. They are also taking part in a Zoom class on prayer.
They were very moved to hear that we came from Israel. They spoke to us about Israel and said that they were dreaming about making aliyah in order to live a full Jewish life there.
At the end of Shabbat, we observed at touching scene. The congregation announced that they would meet again next month, but then a woman asked what they would be doing for Rosh Hashanah. They want to have a minyan and blow the shofar, and they need to learn about the holiday. It’s amazing. Most of us are still in the middle of June, but there is one woman in Trondheim who is already preparing for Rosh Hashanah…”
