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Response to August’s Essay

August 5, 2013

How to Survive as a Jew in Sweden

By Annika Hernroth-Rothstein

The only way to survive as a Jew in Sweden is not to be seen as one.

The following, written as a private letter to Michel Gurfinkiel, appears here by permission of the author.

Dear Mr. Gurfinkiel,

On April 26 of this year, I was on a train with my five-year-old son Charlie. We were on our way to spend shabbat with friends in the city. You see, our town, significant in the history of Swedish Jewry, shut its synagogue in the late 90s. All that remains now is a plaque stating that there was once Jewish life here, while we are left with an hour-long train ride every weekend to attend services.

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Responses to August ’s Essay