NORWAY:
Northwestern division of the Scandinavian peninsula. It has a total population of 2,240,032. The census of 1897 counted over 300 Jews there, but their number has since doubled. In conformity with a law which became operative when Norway was united with Sweden in 1814, Jews were forbidden to settle in the country. This medieval law was finally repealed in 1851 through the efforts of a group, headed by the poet Wergeland, although only a small number of Jews availed themselves of the privilege of settling in Norway. Most of these come from Russian Poland, and they enjoy full civic equality. They are engaged exclusively in industrial pursuits and are generally prosperous. The majority live in the capital, Christiania, while a smaller number are in Trondhjem and a few in Bergen. The Jews of Christiania formed originally three minyanim, but the largest and most important two united, under the name "Mosaiske Trossamfund." This congregation, which is supported by voluntary contributions, owns a cemetery and worships in a rented chapel.
