ESTABLISHMENT THINKING?

Swedish Jewish Leaders Defend Sweden

by Hillel Fendel
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(IsraelNN.com) Swedish anti-Semitism is not a major problem, and Aliyah (immigration to Israel) from Sweden is relatively strong. So say two Swedish Jewish leaders, one religious and one not, speaking with Walter’s World on Israel National Radio.

On the backdrop of the accusations that Israelis had killed Arabs for their body organs which were published in a Swedish tabloid earlier this month, show host Walter Bingham spoke first with Rabbi Isaac Nachman, the rabbi of the two Orthodox synagogues in Stockholm and of the Jewish community at large.

Rabbi Not Harassed for Yarmulke
“There are about 4,500 Jews in Stockholm, but we don’t know the exact number of Orthodox and Conservative,” Rabbi Nachman said. He noted that he had referred to the Aftonbladet article in his last sermon, and that “Swedish Jews are horrified by the article, as are Jews all over the world.”

Asked if the Jewish community would protest publicly, Rabbin Nachman said, “We are considering that, and we have done this in the past, but at present we are giving interviews and the like.” He acknowledged that there is security around synagogues, and that it is intensified “when there are situations, such as [the war] in Gaza six months ago… But it’s not so bad; I go around the city with my yarmulke, looking openly Jewish, and I have never been harassed for it.”

Asked about Aliyah to Israel from Sweden, the rabbi said, “Not only today, but for all times, Israel is the best place for the Jewish People, and thank G-d, young people are choosing to go to Israel. But those who choose not to go but rather to remain here, must be provided with kashrut and Jewish services and the like.”

In response to a question, he said, “Shechita [ritual slaughter] is not allowed in Sweden, except for chickens; we import our meat from France.”

Lena Posner, Official Council of Jewish Communities in Sweden
Walter next spoke with Lena Posner, head of the Jewish community in Stockholm and president of the Official Council of Jewish Communities in Sweden. He asked her why she blamed Israel for the current controversy, to which she responded, “I’m not fully blaming Israel, I just think that the uproar and the disproportionate nature of the issue was because of Israel’s reaction… We, as a community, asked for an apology from the newspaper – but I don’t think it should have been made into a political issue between the two governments.”

Bingham: “You’ve been quoted as saying that ‘anti-Semitism in Sweden is not so bad’ and you criticized the ‘preposterous’ Israel demand for a government condemnation. Those are strange statements, which imply, to me, that some anti-Semitism is acceptable to you.”

Posner: “Not at all. Not at all! I think this is outrageous of you to even ask that kind of question of me.”

Bingham: “Well, you said that the anti-Semitism is not so bad, in other words, that it can be tolerated.”

Posner: “No, What I’m saying is that if there are people in Sweden or elsewhere who think that Sweden is the most anti-Semitic country in the world, they are wrong. And it’s definitely not doing anything good to give it proportions that are not true. Any kind of anti-Semitism outburst or insinuation or issue has to be dealt with… To say that all of Sweden is anti-Semitic is really not true.”

Walter later contested this point, asserting that Sweden’s openness to Muslims had created a strong anti-Jewish feeling among the populace.

Ms. Posner praised the Swedish Ambassador to Israel for immediately speaking out “as a human being” against the article in Aftonbladet. She said, “We have a tremendous obligation to educate the public about our history, sensitivity [and the like].”

Asked about Aliyah to Israel, she said that it has been high from Sweden and from Scandinavia in general: “And I must say, it’s not that people are forced to leave because of anti-Semitism here, but rather because of the love for Israel as a Jewish country.”