One of Sweden’s Five Synagogues Re-Inaugurated

This historic synagogue is located in Norrköping, a town located close to Stockholm.The town of Norrköping, which currently has some 84,000 inhabitants, hosts only a few Jewish families.

The first Jew who arrived in Norrköping was Jacob Marcus who came to the city in 1782, as it was only in 1779 that Jews were allowed to live in Stockholm, Göteborg and Norrköping. Jews at that time were restricted to living in these three cities only, and to certain professions; they were not allowed to give evidence in court, and mixed marriages were prohibited as well.

Marcus was granted permission to reside in the city in order to conduct trade and establish factories. He built a small synagogue in 1790, which was replaced nearly seventy years later by the current synagogue; it was originally dedicated in 1858. According to historical sources:

-“In 1860, the congregation had 99 members. Today, only about 30 use the large structure, which was listed as an historic building in 1978. In the 1990s the synagogue was the target of several anti-Semitic attacks. That in 1996 was reportedly the worst of all; the building was entirely covered with anti-Semitic slogans.” 
Norrköping also has a historical cemetery which dates back to the time of its earliest Jewish settlers.Today, the small Jewish community in Norrköping is headed by Peter Freudenthal.

The renovation and re-inauguration have been made possible due to a generous donation by Sweden’s General Consul in San Fransisco who has contributed funds amounting to 5 million SEK (some $73,0000 USD) for the project. Unfortunately, however, Barbro Osher, the serving General Consul, was not present at the re-inauguration yesterday.

In light of the re-inauguration, invitations were issued to a number of religious and political dignitaries, including Israel’s ambassador to Sweden as well as Governor Elisabeth Nilsson, local Mayor Li Teske, Rabbi David Lazar and Bishop Martin Lind.

Sweden Democrats Attract International Attention

It has been one week since the national elections took place in Sweden but what the final outline of the government will look like is still uncertain. The largest parties in the country are, according to some sources, now joining forces to try to minimize the influence of the newcomers. The Sweden Democrats (SD) have been called both racist as well as neo-Nazi and their introduction to the Swedish government has not only caused a stir in Sweden but also in the international media.

For the first time the Swedish Democrats have managed to get into the Swedish government after they received no less then 5.7% of the country’s votes. As a result Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, recently ran an article with the headline “It won’t be long until the Swedish Democrats show true Anti-semitic nature”.The Haaretz article , featured an interview with President of the Official Council of Jewish communities in Sweden, Lena Posner.

In the article, Posner claims that “this [SD] is a neo-Nazi party… articulate, and talented…but very dangerous,” She further states: “We know where these people are coming from. They are Nazi sympathizers who, under their jackets, are still wearing their brown shirts.”

Yet, as noted by the author of the Haaretz article, the Swedish Democrats “did not include any anti-Semitic messages in its platform. On the contrary, it has two Jewish members among its top ranks and has actually come out in support of Israel at times.”

Still, according to Posner, “the vast majority of the approximately 20,000-strong Jewish community is nonetheless “devastated” by the results”.

Also the UK based daily The Guardian has decided to bring special attention to the introduction of the new party. The Guardian headline proclaims that the new elections ultimately mean that: “Sweden joins Europe-wide backlash against immigration”.

The article reads: “Against this troubled background, Sweden has long seemed aloof and immune, an oasis of civility and openness, with the most generous welfare, asylum, and immigration policies in Europe. But with about 100,000 immigrants entering a country of almost 9 million every year, Åkesson's (party leader of the SD) breakthrough suggests there has been a shift in the public mood.”

As noted by the Guardian, the introduction of SD in to the Swedish government may signal that now Swedes are opting for policies which will be much less tolerant to multiculturalism. Swedish opinion is beginning to oppose the current immigrant-friendly policies. The fact that a political party which allows for racism might end up in the Swedish government is a disgrace for Sweden. Still, it can only be understood as the result of the many policy failures for which the long-governing Social Democrats and their allies are responsible—and intolerance with these failures has now manifested itself in a public outcry.

On late Tuesday or Wednesday the final results of the national elections are expected, and this is also when most probably we will see what the final outline of the government will look like.

Fun Times in Gaza

The Swedish left, including author Henning Mankell and Green parliamentarian Mehmet Kaplan, are all big supporters of Hamas’ regime in Gaza. In fact, Mankell and Kaplan are so fond of Hamas that they and several like-minded Swedish lefties joined the protest tourism cruise trip billed as “Ship to Gaza”.
Since they’ve vowed to return with even more protesters, let’s have a look at what recent events reveal about what tourists can find to do in Gaza—or not do. There have been a few changes since the flotilla was trawling in these waters, so protester please take note.

Firstly, ladies, forget about trying out one of those hookah bars. As of mid-July the Hamas regime banned women from smoking a nargila in public, because doing so violates “social norms and traditions.” Hamas police enforce this law strictly. As liberal feminists, left-wing Swedes can certainly understand that women in Islamic societies enjoy greater freedom when they stay at home where they belong.

Here’s another note for women: Don’t forget to pack your underwear, because you will have a hard time finding a lingerie store unless you can read shop signs in Arabic. Hamas has banned all displays of women’s underwear in shop windows—and especially mannequins modeling underwear—as an offense to “public morality.” But even if you can get locals to direct you to the store, it seems you will be buying without trying on the garments, as the doors of these establishments must be kept open to prevent the immoral behavior these stores may encourage. Violators are fined by the police. Of course, Swedes will again understand the need for enforcing scrupulous modesty, and the societal dangers of underwear.

We would have recommended a visit to Gaza’s Crazy Water Park, part of $20 million in leisure investments made recently by Gaza entrepreneur Samir Saed and others, in part as a response to the high cost of dining out. The park provided family entertainment at a modest cost. But the park was closed about two weeks ago because men and women were there together. This week gunmen beat the watchmen and completely torched the water park’s facilities.

-“ Unidentified gunmen set fire Sunday to the Crazy Water Park, one of the Gaza Strip’s most popular entertainment sites.

Eyewitnesses said that at least 25 men participated in the predawn attack. The gunmen beat the two night watchmen, bound their hands and confiscated their mobile phones before setting the complex on fire, they said.”

Next time the flotilla sails into Ashkelon, Swedes will find Gaza entertainment options are restricted to eating in some of Gaza’s fine restaurants, and perhaps a quiet stay at the Grand Palace, Gaza’s most deluxe hotel. And remember, behave yourselves!

By: Chanah Shapira

Helle Klein finally resigns

With most of the Swedish media's focus being on the recent general elections, news unrelated to the elections is easily missed. However, it would have been quite a shame to miss a rare piece of rather encouraging news published in Aftonbladet. Apparently, political editor-in-chief Helle Klein, known for spending most of her time writing and publishing virulent, hate-filled articles about Israel, resigned some time ago. Good riddance! While her replacement, Karin Pettersson, is still an unknown force, this is still cause for celebration—one thing is certain: no one can be worse than Helle Klein.

By: Adam Eberhag

National Election Results in Sweden

Yesterday elections took place in Sweden and today it appears that Sweden has for the first time in history elected a right-leaning government for two mandate periods in a row. The introduction of the Swedish Democrats—an immigrant-hostile party—into the Swedish government is also noteworthy.

After the initial count it appears that the Moderates will stay in power for yet another term in the Swedish government. Still, the current situation is not favorable as the Moderates did not win a majority of seats in the government. This means that in order to get a majority the Moderates will have to lead in partnership with an opposition party—and the most likely candidate is the Environment Party. This is, however, an offer that the Environment Party, has declined so far, despite having enough numbers to make up a majority bloc.

Perhaps not surprising is the introduction of the controversial Swedish Democrats in the government. In the last elections the party did not receive enough votes to be included in the government, still,  yesterday they managed to gather no less than 5.7% of the Swedish people’s votes and 20 out of 249 mandates in the government. At this point however, neither the leading Alliance parties nor the Opposition wants to include the newcomers in the government.

The Swedish Democrats are notoriously known for their distinctive anti-immigration policies and for their nationalistic views. While some might believe that it is a former Nazi sympathizing party this is not true. In 2005 the party in fact excluded the chairman of the Swedish Democrats in Mölndal, as he had been part of the Nazi party (NRP) during the 1980s as well as stated that “they were not racist enough”.The party also currently have active Jewish members and it seems rather clear that they do not have an agenda similar to the Nazi's.

The party does, however, oppose liberal-supported issues such as gay marriage, gay adoption, abortion and immigration. Furthermore, according to Niklas Orrenius, political journalist from Sydsvenskan the Swedish Democrats want to ban all import of kosher (as well as halal) slaughtered meat.

More frightening is that a true Nazi party in fact gained popularity in the municipality of Grästorp (closely located to Göteborg, Sweden’s second-largest city) and even managed to get mandates in the municipal council. The introduction of a Nazi party in an elected community is the first since 1940. The party is called Svenskarnas Parti (The Swede’s Party) and yesterday it received 102 votes and 2.8% of the votes in Grästorp’s municipality. This consequently also meant that they gained one mandate in the municipal council . Until recently the party was known as “Nationalsocialistisk front” (National Socialistic Front) and it was known as a primarily immigrant-hostile party which include convicted Nazis among its active representatives.

It is not yet sure whether or not Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeld will be able to bring together a new government in Sweden. Sweden Israel and the Jews will continue to monitor the Swedish elections and bring the non-Swedish speaking world updates concerning the final outcomes.

Jewish Center in Lund May Close

Due to lack of funding the Jewish community in Lund (located very near Malmö) might have to shut down all of its activities by the end of the year. The downturn for the community most probably began in 2004, when Lund’s Jewish Center decided to separate from the Malmö Jewish community. The split was largely due to differences in religious practices, but has now contributed to the center’s economic crisis.
Due to the lack of funding the center has no longer been able to bring lecturers or hold seminars, which in turn have brought in less revenue. Today the community can’t even afford to pay the rent for its facilities in central Lund. Making the situation even worse, the center doesn’t even receive any sort of government funding for cultural activities, but Janine Sages, member of the Lund Jewish Community, hopes that the municipality in Lund will agree to give cultural funds to the center for teaching and studying Yiddish.

The downturn in interest and membership in the small community clearly shows the trend of a decreasing population of Jewish inhabitants in southern Sweden. Also in nearby Malmö the Jewish community membership has decreased dramatically, causing the Malmö Jewish community financial problems.

The current climate of increasing security threats directed at the Jewish communities in Sweden, such as in Malmö, is accompanied by a decreasing ability to afford the security arrangements necessary. This is only logical as increasingly smaller communities must shoulder the burden of increasing security costs. Therefore, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Jewish life in Sweden.

Below is the original article from the local daily Skånskan (the article is not available online)

More News We Bet You Won’t Get In Sweden

As our readers know, the government-subsidized Swedish press usually specializes in anti-Israel bias. This is due to the fact that there is one major supplier of international news, the TT press agency.  As we have demonstrated previously, TT takes stories from other suppliers, including AFP, and re-spins them for the mainstream print and electronic media in Sweden. As they note on their website, “Sweden's major media cooperate with TT”.

As a result, Swedish readers are guaranteed to get a serving of highly selected material showing mainly the Palestinian viewpoint. This includes bypassing any reporting of stories which show Arab “activists” or “militants” for what they really are—terrorists.It was showed this last month, that when Israeli citizens were brutally murdered by Palestinian terrorists Swedish media took little notice and Aftonbladet set an example of the many newspapers which didn’t even classify it as a terror attack.


Today we are highlighting a few items, which we challenge TT or anyone else in the Swedish mainstream media to report to their readers.

The Hamas terror regime in Gaza has, while crying poor, been building a shopping mall, beach villas, and eating out in style—and Swedish protest tourists may opt to stay at the deluxe Grand Palace Hotel. But it’s not all play. Israel’s Channel 2 news reported that the Kassam rockets which presently are fired on southern Israel are continuously in the process of being upgraded. Having increased the range and accuracy of these missiles to reach the area of the Ashkelon power station (which supplies most of Gaza’s electricity), Hamas weapons manufacturers are now adding on a much more destructive 10 kg payload—a sizeable increase and investment over previous models which carried an average of about 3 kg of explosives. Hamas’ firing of missiles which target civilian areas constitutes a war crime and is collective punishment directed at non-combatants. This report will not be found in the pages of Aftonbladet.

In a related item, the Jerusalem Post reported on September 5th that there was an explosion in a village in southern Lebanon caused by the accidental detonation of yet another one of Hezbollah’s hidden arms caches. This was never once mentioned in Swedish media. It seems like the detonation of arms caches in southern Lebanon and the illegal practice of storing quantities of explosives arms in private homes in residential areas are not newsworthy topics for the “journalists” at Aftonbladet.

The Jerusalem Post also reports a story entitled “Abbas’s plea to Arab states: Show me the money!” that,

-“Most of the Arab countries have failed to meet their previous pledges to provide the Palestinians with financial aid, the PA said. With the exception of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Arab world was continuing to ignore the Palestinians’ repeated requests for help… Last week, PA President Mahmoud Abbas complained that the Palestinians haven’t seen ‘one cent’ of the hundreds of millions of dollars that the Arab countries promised them”.And even the oil sheikhs that paid up shelled out far fewer petrodollars:

-“In 2009, Saudi Arabia gave the Palestinians $240m. In comparison, the Palestinians received only $30m from the Saudis between January 1, 2010, and the end of last month.”

Followers of Middle East policy and events know that this is business as usual.  Don’t expect this item to appear in a TT-based story—because it shows that, in fact, the Palestinians really aren’t the prime concern of the Arab world.  The Arab and Islamic leadership may be fond of speechifying and pledging aid, but they rarely bother to deliver, and the Western media never calls them on the carpet for broken promises. These days Arab states have real concerns over Iran’s nuclear potential and Western inaction; the Palestinians are small potatoes.

The Swedish media often demonizes Israel as the sole aggressor and actively promotes the Palestinian line, while ignoring, for example, Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s massive weapons stockpiles and terrorist acts in Lebanon.  They also turn a blind eye to the increasing threat of more advanced missiles coming out of Gaza—another Iranian arms client. This will not promote peace. Sticking one’s head in the sand won’t make Iranian aggression-by-proxy go away; it will only encourage Hezbollah and Hamas intransigence to continue without penalty and, as far as the Swedish media is concerned, without comment. 

By Chanah Shapira