The synagogue of Trondheim has marked its hundredth anniversary. The historic celebration took place in the presence of Norway’s King Harald V and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
The house of worship, the northernmost synagogue in the world, remains active to this day. During the event, the monarch met, among others, 98-year-old Chana Arberman, a Bergen-Belsen survivor who lost more than fifty relatives during the Holocaust.
The celebration drew considerable attention across Norway and was attended by a large audience. The King appeared visibly delighted to share the occasion with Trondheim’s Jewish community. He did not deliver a speech, leaving that honour to Prime Minister Støre.
“On behalf of the government and our country, I would like to congratulate you on a century of an inclusive Jewish community within these walls,” said the Prime Minister.
Støre noted that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East had led to heated debate and made it increasingly difficult to be Jewish in Norway.
“We have heard that life is becoming harder, less safe, and lonelier,” he said. “We must take responsibility and stand up for human dignity and equality. Antisemitism is a virus — and, as they say, it comes in waves. Jews can die from it.”
Speaking on behalf of Trondheim’s Jewish community, Marthine Bodd Five addressed the King and those present. Since 7 October 2023, she explained, life had become particularly difficult.
“My social media feeds were flooded with antisemitism. We were all completely shocked — this is not the Norway we know and love.” Her seventeen-year-old daughter was even told she should “go back to the gas chamber.”
Police implemented extensive security measures to ensure the event proceeded smoothly. A section of Trondheim’s airspace was closed, and a drone monitored the area from above. There were no known threats, according to Trøndelag Police District Chief of Staff Geir Arne Sjøhagen, who spoke to public broadcaster NRK ahead of the ceremony.
King Harald spoke not only with survivor Chana Arberman — who, at 98, is nearly as old as the synagogue itself — but also with younger members of the community. As he left the synagogue, the King once again greeted Arberman. “It was wonderful,” she said afterwards. “Meeting the King and celebrating this event means we must never forget.”
Trondheim’s Jewish community was founded in 1905 and initially met in rented premises in St. Jørgensveita. In 1923, the community purchased the city’s old railway station, formerly the terminus of the Trondheim–Støren line. Two years later, the synagogue officially opened. During the Second World War, more than half of Trondheim’s Jewish community was murdered.
During the German occupation, the synagogue was seized by the Nazis and used as a storage site and accommodation for soldiers. After liberation, the building and its interior were badly damaged and required extensive restoration. In 1997, a Jewish Museum was inaugurated in part of the building, and by 2000 the synagogue had been fully restored and rebuilt.
Reopened in 2001, the synagogue now houses a library, a multimedia centre, and a fully renovated museum. Today it serves as both a cultural and social hub for Trondheim’s diverse Jewish community. The synagogue stands as a national cultural monument as well as a living space for religious life and dialogue.
