Jew Clause (Norway)

The Jew clause (Norwegian: Jødeparagrafen) is in the vernacular name of the second paragraph of the Constitution of Norway from 1814 to 1851 and from 1942 to 1945. The clause, in its original form, banned Jews from entering Norway, and also forbade Jesuits and monastic orders. An exception was made for so-called Portuguese Jews. The penultimate sentence of the same paragraph is known as the Jesuit clause (Norwegian: Jesuittparagrafen).

The clause roughly translates as:

The Evangelical-Lutheran religion is the state's public religion. The inhabitants who practice it are obliged to raise their children in the same. Jesuits and monastic orders must not be tolerated. Jews are excluded from access to the Kingdom.

Christian Magnus Falsen, Georg Sverdrup and Nicolai Wergeland were the central delegates behind the wording of the section's final paragraph. The wording was adopted on May 4, 1814. Those behind the law were highly educated and among the country's most well-read men. This paragraph was finalized in Constitutional Committee and adopted after discussion, but without changes in the plenary.