Jewish out-migration is on the rise in Malmo, Sweden's third largest city. One-third of the southern port city are Muslims, forming a population group that has created a considerable challenge due to their reluctance to integrate and adopt local norms. In Stockholm, Sweden's largest city, the population is 20% Muslim.
In recent years Malmo has become a symbol of intolerance toward Jews. The situation worsened significantly following the recent war in Gaza and continued to deteriorate following the protests against allowing Israeli tennis players to participate in Davis Cup matches held in the city.
In recent interviews, young members of the local Jewish community, which currently numbers 900, said Jewish residents feel they would be better off leaving the city than being subject to harassment and threats by Muslims.
"We're leaving," one young Jew declared during an interview on a news program at a local radio station. "It's not a question of if but when, and maybe not just Malmo, but Sweden, too."
The Jewish community is not only disappointed by its treatment by the Muslim neighbors. That would have been bearable, they said, since they expect the situation to improve in the future. Rather they are more disappointed by city leaders, who are largely dependent on the Muslim vote.
It was the mayor of this traditionally working-class city, socialist Ilmar Reepalu, who justified the criticism of Israel during the recent Davis Cup protests, saying the city must display solidarity toward Palestinian residents whose relatives were affected by the war. Yet the protesters in Malmo demonstrated not only against Israel, but against the Jews as well. The Judisk Kronika ("Jewish Chronicle") recently published a transcript from one of the demonstrations where calls to wipe out the Jews were clearly audible. "It's unfortunate such shouts are heard, but they are not from Palestinians, but from members of neo-Nazi organizations," said Mayor Reepalu, choosing to totally overlook the city's Jewish-Muslim tensions.
The Muslim population is a source of problems elsewhere in Sweden, whose non-Muslim citizens are also largely unfriendly towards Israel and Swedish Jews. Growing public support for the Social Democratic Party (SAP), which is highly critical of Israel, has boosted Party Chairman Mona Sahlin, known for her extreme views against Israel.
"I don't want to be among those who didn't leave the city on time," another young Jew said during the radio program. "The situation in Malmo today might not be quite the same as what was happening in Germany during the 1930s. There, too, many people fled the rising wave of hatred, but many other stayed and were washed away. I don't want to be one of them," he said cryptically.
Not all Scandinavian Muslims are hostile toward Jews and not all of the Jews are packing their bags to leave. Just 40 miles away in Copenhagen the atmosphere is totally different. But the sense of fear and uncertainty palpable in Malmo is liable to reach epidemic proportions if left unchecked, and today Sweden has no leader brave enough to step forward and take a firm stand.
