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Malmö Synagogue

Coordinates: 55°35′58″N 13°00′39″E / 55.59944°N 13.01083°E / 55.59944; 13.01083
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Malmö Synagogue
Swedish: Malmö synagoga
The façade of the synagogue, in 2007
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
RiteNusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
StatusActive
Location
LocationFöreningsgatan, Malmö, Skåne County
CountrySweden
Malmö Synagogue is located in Skåne
Malmö Synagogue
Location of the synagogue in Skåne County
Geographic coordinates55°35′58″N 13°00′39″E / 55.59944°N 13.01083°E / 55.59944; 13.01083
Architecture
Architect(s)John Smedberg
TypeSynagogue architecture
Style
Date established1871 (as a congregation)
Completed1903
MaterialsBrick
Website
jfm.se (in Swedish)
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The Malmö Synagogue (Swedish: Malmö synagoga, Hebrew: בית הכנסת של מאלמו) is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Foreningsgatan, Malmö, in Skåne County, Sweden. The synagogue was designed by John Smedberg in the Art Nouveau and Moorish Revival styles and completed in 1903.[1]

The synagogue is one of the few surviving synagogues in Europe built in a Moorish Revival style, as most of them were destroyed during Kristallnacht 1938.[2][3][4] At the inauguration of Malmö Synagogue, it was Malmö's first non-Christian place of worship. Malmö has two Jewish cemeteries: one section in the northern part of Sankt Pauli kyrkogård and another, newer section in Östra kyrkogården.

In 2021, the synagogue attracted approximately 5,000 visitors per annum.[5]

History

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The Jewish chapel at the Jewish cemetery section of Sankt Pauli kyrkogård in Malmö

The congregation started in 1871 as the fifth Jewish community established in Sweden after Stockholm, Gothenburg, Norrköping and Karlskrona. The community consisted mostly of immigrants from Germany and Poland and had an initial membership base of 251 people.[6] Later on, more Jews fled from Poland, Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic states due to poverty, antisemitism and the threat of being drafted into the Imperial Russian Army for 25 years. The first rabbi Joseph Wohlstein was hired in 1900 and the synagogue was built in 1903 with funding from Jacob [sv] and Clara Lachmann.[7] During the Second World War Danish Jews fled to Malmö, which expanded the community. During the 1970s, the membership peaked with over 2,000 members which was close to 1% of Malmö's population, mostly Jews from Poland, due to a state-led anti-Semitic persecution. Since 1990, many members began to feel growing anti-Semitic attitudes and sentiments in Malmö and the community have led to a decline in adult membership by approximately 500 between 1999 and 2019.[8] An Egalitarian community was established in 2011, in parallel to the Orthodox community.[9]

Events

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A Holocaust conference was held in Malmö in October 2021. It was an International Forum for the remembrance of the Holocaust and against antisemitism in Malmö.[10] 44 countries participated, including Sweden's prime minister Stefan Löfven and the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf.[11]

In collaboration with Malmö Municipality, the synagogue opened up as a knowledge center in January 2022.[5]

Attacks

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The synagogue was attacked with explosives on 23 July 2010.[12] The explosion was caused with some kind of fireworks or firecracker containing too little gunpowder to seriously damage the building.[13]

The synagogue was attacked with an explosive device on 28 September 2012, shattering a window.[14]

On 4 November 2023, pro-Palestinian demonstrators burned an Israeli flag and chanted "bomb Israel" outside the synagogue. The European Jewish Congress condemned the incident: "Intimidating the Jewish community and blaming them for the events in the Middle East is blatant antisemitism."[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Synagogue in Malmö". Historic Synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Malmö museer" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 7 June 2009.
  3. ^ "Judiska församlingen i Malmö" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 21 February 2009.
  4. ^ "Länsstyrelsen i Skåne län" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 4 October 2009.
  5. ^ a b Christoffersson, Tobias (7 October 2021). "Synagogan välkomnar besökare på nytt sätt" (in Swedish). Malmö Municipality. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Jewish Community of Malmö - Our history". Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Stiftelsens historik" [The Foundation's History]. Clara Lachmanns Stiftelse (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  8. ^ Sieradzki, Fredrik (21 August 2019). "En injektion av hopp för judiskt liv i Malmöregionen". Minoritet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Egalitära synagogan i Malmö". Judiska Församlingen Malmö. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  10. ^ Nydahl, Kjell (13 October 2021). "Förintelsekonferens i Malmö" [Holocaust conference in Malmö]. SVT Nyheter. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  11. ^ Grosshög, Hanna (13 October 2021). "Toppolitiker från hela världen samlas i Malmö". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  12. ^ Verbin, Dan (27 July 2010). "Malmo Synagogue Rocked by Explosion". Shalom Life. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010.
  13. ^ "Threat and attack against the synagogue of Malmö as Jews leave the Swedish city". European Jewish Press. 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012.
  14. ^ "I natt sprängdes en bomb vid synagogan i Malmö". P4 Stockholm (in Swedish). 28 September 2012.
  15. ^ "Protesters chant 'bomb Israel' and burn flag outside synagogue in Sweden". The Times of Israel. 6 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
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Media related to Malmö Synagogue at Wikimedia Commons

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