History of Jews in Sweden
The first Jew permitted to take up permanent residency in Sweden was Aaron Isaac, a merchant from Germany. He came to Stockholm with his family in 1774, accompanied by a minyan of people, who also brought their families. As the Jews of Sweden were emancipated in 1870 their number had increased to 3000 through natural increase and new immigration. Communities were founded in Gothenburg, Malmö and in several other towns around the country. While immigration at the beginning of the 20th century consisted mainly of individuals or single families, persecution in Russia forced large numbers of Jews into exile. Several thousand came to Sweden.
During the thirties numerous Jews fled from Nazi Germany. The largest immigration occurred immediately after the Holocaust, when thousands of survivors were brought from the death camps. About 5000 of them remained in Sweden, although the majority left for Israel and the USA. This influx doubled the population. The political events in Hungary 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1967, and Poland 1968 led to additional Jewish immigration to Sweden. The most current group of immigrants came from the former Soviet Republic.
Jews of Stockholm today
As of May 2007 there are around 4 400 members of the Jewish Community in Stockholm. The Jewish Community of Stockholm is a unified community, meaning that all synagogues, conservative as well as orthodox and progressive belong to the same organization. There is a Jewish elementary school, junior high school and a variety of organizations.
There are Jewish Communities in Gothenburg and Malmö as well, and we estimate that there are around 18 000 – 20 000 Jews living in Sweden today.
The main building of the Jewish Community is situated in downtown Stockholm at Wahrendorffsgatan 3 B. Opening hours 9 am to 5 pm Monday-Thursday, and 9 am to 4 pm on Fridays or one hour before Shabat. The office closes for lunch 12 am –1 pm. Phone +46 8-587 858 00.
Read more in our brochure (PDF)