Task force for Jewish life meets at the Jewish Museum
Published
The first meeting of the year for the Government’s task force for Jewish life was held at the Jewish Museum in Stockholm at the beginning of March. The group’s focus area this year is Jewish life, which coincides with celebrations marking 250 years of established Jewish life in Sweden. The group will also continue to focus on security.
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Petra Mårselius, Director General at the Living History Forum.
Photo: Anders G Warne/Government Offices
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Rebecka Glaser, from the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities.
Photo: Anders G Warne/Government Offices
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Isak Reichel, Department Executive of the Swedish Agency for Support for Faith Communities.
Photo: Anders G Warne/Government Offices
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Naima Grossman, General Secretary of the Jewish Youth Association in Sweden.
Photo: Anders G Warne/Goverment Offices
At the meeting, participants provided details of their activities related to the 250th anniversary of Jewish life. Petra Mårselius, Director General at the Living History Forum, talked about the agency’s plans to produce information material and increase awareness about the anniversary year, including on the judisktliv.se website.
250 years of Jewish life in Sweden, on the judisktliv.se website (Swedish)
Petra Mårselius showed the graphic profile that the authority has produced for the anniversary year, which was presented by the Prime Minister in a speech in the Riksdag to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Rebecka Glaser, from the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, presented activities planned all across the country to mark the anniversary year.
Isak Reichel, Department Executive of the Swedish Agency for Support for Faith Communities, spoke about the agency’s work distributing the government grant that will help meet the cost of security-enhancing measures for civil society organisations whose activities are affected by fear of threats, violence and harassment, as well as a new report on the security situation among faith communities.
Naima Grossman, General Secretary of the Jewish Youth Association in Sweden, presented their new podcast “Jidder”, which explores a wide range of subjects from a Jewish perspective.
250 years of Jewish life in Sweden
This year marks the 250th anniversary of Jewish life in Sweden. The anniversary is an opportunity to highlight the Jewish minority, Jewish culture and Jewish cultural heritage that is found all over the country. The Government has therefore tasked a number of agencies with contributing to the observance of the anniversary.
Task force for Jewish life in Sweden
The Government’s Task Force for Jewish life was presented in January 2023. It is an interministerial working group tasked with collaborating and conducting dialogue on preventive measures and efforts to improve the conditions for Jewish life and prevent and combat antisemitism in Sweden. The Government’s efforts to combat antisemitism are a priority and focus on three areas: education, increasing the safety and security of Jews in Sweden, and fostering Jewish life in Sweden.
The task force is led by State Secretary to the Prime Minister Johan Stuart and also includes state secretaries from six different ministries. The task force includes three civil society organisations: the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, Judiska Ungdomsförbundet (the Jewish Youth Association) and the Jewish Committee Against Antisemitism. Representatives of relevant government agencies, organisations and other experts also take part.
