Jews
Jews are one of Sweden’s national minorities, with a multifaceted identity and a language with a thousand-year history.
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Jewish identity
Being Jewish can mean different things to different people. The identity can be based on ethnic, cultural, or religious grounds—or a combination of these.
For many, it is about a shared history, a sense of community, and a cultural heritage passed on to the next generation.
Many Jews in Sweden live a secular life. Even without religious beliefs, traditions rooted in religion can still be important—just as many secular Swedes celebrate Christmas and Easter.
Jews in Sweden
Jews are an ethnic minority in all countries except Israel. In Sweden, it is estimated that there are 20,000–25,000 Jews, and about 3,000 of them speak Yiddish.
The language Yiddish
Yiddish literally means "Jew" and is also called mame-loshn, the mother tongue. The language has existed for about a thousand years and has been influenced by many other languages since Jews have often been forced to migrate.
- In the 17th and 18th centuries, Yiddish was mainly spoken in Eastern Europe.
- Between 1800 and 1920, the language spread worldwide through emigration.
- Before World War II, Yiddish was spoken by 12 million people and was the world’s third-largest Germanic language.
- In Sweden, Yiddish was already in use in the 17th century but became established continuously only at the end of the 18th century.
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