Jews were not permitted to reside in Sweden until the late 1700's. By 1840, there were about 900 Jews in Sweden, primarily in Stockholm and Goteborg. By 1930, this population had grown to about 7,000. After to the Nazi rise to power, Sweden's policy towards refugees was restrictive. From 1933 to 1939, about 3,000 Jews were accepted into Sweden and another 1,000 were permitted to use Sweden as a point of transit. This policy changed with the persecutions that took place in German occupied Norway. Sweden accepted about 900 refugees from Norway and over 8,000 from Denmark.
After the war, most of the refugees from Norway and Denmark returned to their respective countries. It is estimated that about 18,000 Jews presently live in Sweden.
Communities
Goteborg is a city in southwest Sweden. The first Jews were permitted to enter the city in 1780. The first synagogue was built in 1808. Depicted below are two postcards: the first features a lithograph from 1860 showing the synagogue built in 1855, which stands on a water front site; and the second is a postcard postmarked in December, 1909.
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD-Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
Carole Herselle Krinsky, Synagogues of Europe, P.403
Copyright © 1999 Edward Victor
