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Great Synagogue of Stockholm, Sweden. Jewish community 'slowly being pushed out'
Photo: Amit Schneider

Sweden's Jews 'dying of 1,000 cuts'

President of European Jewish Congress warns Scandinavian country's Jewish community is in grave danger after series of anti-Semitic incidents, most notably attack on two Jewish women in Malmo

Dr. Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), has warned that the Swedish Jewish community is in grave danger after a series of anti-Semitic incidents, most notably an attack on two Jewish women in Malmo early last week.

 

“The situation is intolerable for Jews in Malmo and every week we hear of another attack,” Kantor said. “The community is slowly being pushed out; it is dying of '1,000 cuts.' Each attack should be seen and dealt with as a part of a greater pattern to make Jewish life unsustainable in Sweden.

 

“The attacks against Jews should be seen in their entirety and there is a concerted attempt to rid certain areas on Sweden, if not the whole country, of Jews.”

 

Last week, large swastikas were twice scrawled on several doors belonging to two separate Jewish homes in Malmo, according to a report in Sydsvenskan, a local daily. One of the homes was broken into, and a computer and Judaica were stolen.

 

The homeowners reportedly called police four times during the weekend as the assailants continued to return.

 

This follows an attack on a synagogue in Malmo, a rabbi viciously attacked in the street and several assaults carried out against the Jewish community in the last couple of months.

 

“The EJC will request a meeting with the prime minister of Sweden to discuss the issue and the need for greater policing, enforcement of anti-racism laws and a long-term strategy for dealing with the attacks on the Jewish community because we are reaching a tipping point for the Jews in Sweden," Kantor said.

 

Lena Posner-Korosi, president of the Swedish Council of Jewish Communities and an EJC executive member, said that “breaking into Jewish homes and deliberately stealing items of great personal and emotional value is outrageous.

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 12.09.12, 15:01
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