Between October 7 and December 31, 2023, nearly five times as many antisemitic crimes were reported compared to the same period the previous year, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). These crimes were specifically directed at Jewish targets, not Israeli ones. Examples of such incidents, which according to the IHRA definition that Sweden previously endorsed, are expressions of antisemitism, include slogans like "Israel murderer" outside Stockholm's synagogue on Holocaust Memorial Day and the sharing of a grossly antisemitic cartoon on social media by Orwa Kadoura, the vice chairman of the Left Party in Malmö.
Like a virus mutates, antisemitism adapts to fit into new contexts. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Jews were persecuted and subjected to violence because of their faith. In the 19th and 20th centuries, antisemitism took on a racial-biological character, culminating in the Holocaust.
After the Holocaust, antisemitism has mutated again. Classical antisemitic notions, such as Jews controlling the world, dominating banks, and being bloodthirsty, are once again spreading. However, the word "Jew" has been replaced with "Zionist." In all other respects, the caricatures remain the same.
Zionism is a movement that advocates for the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their historic homeland, Israel. Being a Zionist means supporting Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. The vast majority of the world’s Jews, as well as many non-Jews, are Zionists. Anti-Zionism involves questioning this people’s right to self-determination.
Within far-left narratives, Israel is often portrayed as the symbol of the evil colonizer and oppressor of the weaker party. Islamist ideology exploits these ideas. Antisemitism becomes the unifying and driving force in two otherwise incompatible ideologies.
Of course, one can criticize the Israeli government, which also happens daily in Israel. But when the right of the Jews to have their own state is denied, when Jews’ religious and historical connection to the land of Israel is questioned, or when antisemitic themes are used to describe Zionists, it is antisemitism.
The demonization of Israel with unfounded accusations of genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians is done to undermine the Jewish state’s legitimacy. This contributes to the dehumanization of Zionists and, ultimately, the Jewish people. This creates a dangerous force that has justified discrimination and violence, leading to catastrophic consequences.
The government's investigation "National Strategy to Strengthen Jewish Life in Sweden" is a good first step to secure the conditions for Jewish life in Sweden. The possibility for Jewish schools to expand, the security of Jewish institutions, the right to circumcision for boys (brit milah), and the import of kosher meat are cornerstones of Jewish life.
The investigation proposes that the 2022 action program against antisemitism be extended. Unfortunately, this is not enough, as the measures are too general to address the specific expressions of antisemitism. Racism is directed downward, toward those deemed inferior. Antisemitism is different; it is often directed upward, toward those perceived as superior. The solution is an independent strategy against antisemitism that recognizes anti-Zionism as a form of antisemitism. Most EU countries, including Denmark, Germany, and Austria, already have independent strategies against antisemitism, in accordance with the EU’s recommendations, which can serve as inspiration.
The government should therefore:
– Develop and implement an independent national strategy against antisemitism linked to the strategy to strengthen Jewish life.
– Appoint a national coordinator to lead, coordinate, and implement the strategies.
– Use IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism in concrete efforts to identify and understand the various expressions of antisemitism.
– Include specific, evidence-based measures to effectively combat antisemitism.
It is crucial that we act now. Otherwise, we risk that Sweden’s synagogues will become museums of the Jewish life that once existed.
This editorial was originally written in Swedish in Göteborgs-Posten.
