Task force for Jewish life in Sweden

This year marks the 250th anniversary of Jewish life in Sweden. The National Agency for Education has been tasked with raising awareness of this anniversary and presenting proposals on how it can be highlighted in schools.

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.

In 2025, the 250th anniversary of established Jewish life in Sweden will be celebrated. This will be an opportunity to highlight the Jewish minority, culture and cultural heritage throughout the country. The Government has therefore, in appropriation directions for 2025, instructed a number of government agencies to help highlight the 250th anniversary. The year 2025 also marks 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

On Thursday 28 November, the Task Force for Jewish life in Sweden held its final meeting of the year. The main topic was education, which has been the task force’s main focus in 2024. Representatives from a number of organisations were invited to take part and talk about their work in this area.

The Government is announcing a new action plan to combat racism and hate crime. Through this concerted action, the Government is taking important steps in the efforts to free Sweden from racism and hate crime. The efforts in this area will be accurate, measurable and long-term. Schools, judiciary, welfare and working life will be in focus.

On 7 October 2023, Hamas committed the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was joined by other ministers in a ceremony at Stockholm’s Great Synagogue on the evening of 7 October 2024 to honour the memory of the victims of the attack.

On 20 September, the task force for Jewish life in Sweden held its fifth meeting. The topic was rising antisemitism, with a special focus on social media and how it affects Jewish schoolchildren in Sweden.

On Tuesday 4 June, the task force for Jewish life in Sweden held its fourth meeting, which focused on education. Invited representatives of schools, universities, other higher education institutions and liberal adult education attended the meeting.

The task force for Jewish life in Sweden held its third meeting on Friday 9 February, with its discussions mainly focused on the 2024 theme of education. New representatives of the National Agency for Education and the Swedish National Council of Adult Education joined this meeting. The task force will also continue to address last year’s theme of security in 2024.

In light of international developments, the Government will increase its support to the University of Gothenburg which, via the Segerstedt Institute, spreads knowledge of working methods to combat antisemitism. This year, the Government will provide another SEK 1 million, and it intends to provide another SEK 3 million to support these efforts in 2024.

On Tuesday 14 November, the task force for Jewish life in Sweden held its second meeting. The task force works to improve the conditions for Jewish life, and prevent and combat antisemitism in Sweden.

Combatting antisemitism is a high priority for the Government. The budget presented on 20 September includes several initiatives to enhance and shore up these continued efforts. This includes funding to the Jewish Museum, the Living History Forum and the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, and state aid for security-heightening measures.

On 16 October, Minister for Gender Equality Working Life and Deputy Minister for Employment Paulina Brandberg, Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand and Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed met with representatives of Jewish civil society. The meeting focused on how events in Israel are affecting Jews in Sweden, current challenges and future efforts to combat antisemitism and support Jewish life.

Published 28 June 2023 Visby, 27 June 2023 Check against delivery.

On Tuesday 13 June, the task force for Jewish Life in Sweden held its first meeting. Discussions focused on what the situation looks like today and how living a Jewish life in Sweden can be made easier. More than 30 participants gathered to collaborate and engage in dialogue.

This year’s theme for the task force for Jewish life in Sweden is safety and security. The task force was presented on 26 January and its work will continue throughout the electoral period. The three civil society organisations invited to participate in the task force have now agreed to take part, and the first meeting will be held June.

The Swedish Government has decided to appoint a collaborative working group on the conditions for the Jewish minority. The aim is to vigorously combat antisemitism and to strengthen the conditions for Jewish life in Sweden.