Kos & Kaos - The Nordic Jewish Network

04/09/2026

Shabbat Shalom from Kos & Kaos ❤️

In this week’s newsletter, you can read about our new ten-session study group, Understanding Jewish Life Today, discover Israeli food and lifestyle products from Flavoris, and find out how you can become a member or support our work.

Read the newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/kosogkaos/god-shabbes-fra-kos-kaos

31/08/2026

Holocaust education matters. But it is not enough to understand antisemitism today.

In this clip from one of our previous events, Jeffrey C. Alexander, Professor of Sociology at Yale University, reflects on the gap between Holocaust education and the lived experience of Jews in the present.

He also discusses how the memory of the Holocaust has increasingly been universalized and drawn into other struggles for rights and justice — often far removed from the historical experience of Jews under Na**sm.

Teaching the Holocaust is essential. But understanding the Holocaust does not automatically teach us how antisemitism appears, changes or operates in contemporary society. If we want to recognize antisemitism today, we also need to understand the ideas, narratives and social dynamics through which it takes shape now.

A thought-provoking reflection on memory, universalism and the limits of looking to the past to understand the present.

31/08/2026

Today, Kos & Kaos submitted our response to the Norwegian Government’s proposed law banning trade with Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories.

Our starting point is clear: we share the Government’s concern about developments in the West Bank, and we recognize that measures aimed at actors contributing to rights violations can be legitimate. Our concern is whether this particular measure is sufficiently grounded in the reality it is meant to regulate.

We fear that this risks becoming yet another piece of symbolic policy — adopted with strong intentions, but without enough understanding of the situation on the ground.

The West Bank is not made up of two separate economies. Palestinian workers, businesses and suppliers are part of economic networks that cross political and legal boundaries. Measures aimed at Israeli settlement activity can therefore also affect Palestinians who depend on these workplaces, customers and supply chains.
That is why our main question is simple: Who will actually bear the cost of this policy?

In our submission, we call for:• an independent assessment of the consequences for Palestinian workers, families and businesses• a closer look at cross-border supply chains and economic dependencies• an assessment of the cumulative effect if several European countries introduce similar measures• more targeted measures against actors and activities directly connected to violence, displacement, serious human-rights violations and settlement expansion.

Policies designed to protect Palestinian rights should not be adopted without understanding how they will work in practice. If the consequences are poorly understood, there is a real risk that a measure intended to help Palestinians may instead harm some of the very people it is meant to support.

Good intentions are not enough. Policy has to be grounded in reality.

Read our full consultation response here:

31/08/2026

What holds the Jewish people together?

This autumn, Kos & Kaos is launching a new 10-month study group exploring the history, ideas and traditions that have shaped Jewish life — and that still connect us today.

Together with rabbis, Jewish thinkers and guest scholars, we will move from rabbinic Judaism, Maimonides, Kabbalah and Hasidism to modern Jewish movements, secular Jewish culture, Zionism and contemporary Jewish identity.

The aim is not to present one “correct” way of being Jewish, but to understand the diversity of Jewish life, where it comes from, and what continues to connect us as a people.

The first session is October 18 in Oslo. You can join the full series or attend individual sessions.

Read more and sign up here:

A 10-month Jewish study group in Oslo exploring Jewish history, thought, Kabbalah, Hasidism, modern Jewish movements and Jewish peoplehood.

26/08/2026

A small glimpse into Compass North — Kos & Kaos’ education initiative.

Together with Zach Schaffer, we are developing and delivering training on antisemitism, polarization and difficult conversations.

The aim is not to tell people what to think, but to give them the knowledge and practical tools they need to recognize antisemitism, understand how it changes across contexts, and navigate disagreement without falling into stereotypes, collective blame or black-and-white thinking.

Over the past year, we have held more than ten workshops in Norway for over 200 professionals from civil society, universities, media and other institutions — and we are now beginning to bring the program to Sweden as well.

25/08/2026

Good journalism should make the world more complex — not less.

In this clip from our Arendalsuka conversation The Power of Media in Conflict – Israel, Palestine, Iran and the Battle for Public Opinion, Alex Vatanka from the Middle East Institute in Washington reflects on the responsibility journalists have when covering conflicts they may only partially understand.

Journalism should not simply give audiences what we assume they already want to hear. It should introduce new ideas, challenge established narratives and make room for complexity.

In conflicts that are increasingly presented through a black-and-white lens, that responsibility matters more than ever.

A thoughtful contribution on what we should expect from those who shape our understanding of the world.

24/08/2026

A day of conversations about Jewish life, policy and what comes next.

Today has been one of those days where we have been running from meeting to meeting across Oslo.

We started with a conversation with an expert on religion and public policy, then met with partners to plan the next steps for our Shared Futures - Middle East project.

Later, we sat down with partners and colleagues from a broad range of Jewish organizations in Norway to talk about the future of Jewish life — what is needed, what is changing, and how we can build stronger and more sustainable communities together.

A long day, but a very good one. And a reminder of how much can happen when people with different perspectives sit down around the same table.

Thanks to Ervin Kohn and Joav Melchior for facilitating a great beginning

21/08/2026

From Norway to Sweden — and we’re just getting started.

Yesterday, together with Zach Schaffer, we had the opportunity to talk about the antisemitism education program we have been developing and delivering over the past year.

So far, we have held more than ten workshops in Norway, reaching over 200 professionals from civil society organizations, universities, media and other institutions — including NRK, Norway’s public broadcaster.

The program is built around a simple idea: addressing antisemitism requires more than knowing what antisemitism is. We need to give people the knowledge and practical tools to recognize it, navigate difficult conversations and respond to it in their own professional environments.

We are now taking the first steps towards bringing the program to Sweden as well.

A lot has happened in a year. And we are only getting started.

20/08/2026

Sometimes the best moments are the ones you didn’t plan. 🎶

At one of our social gatherings, one of our members sat down at the piano and gave us an unexpected and incredibly beautiful performance.

A small glimpse of the talent, warmth and community that make Kos & Kaos what it is.

We’re very lucky to have such talented people among us. ❤️