Stockholm has a Swedish-born rabbi for the first time ever

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Published: 27 October 2020

Last updated: 4 March 2024

The rabbis who work in Stockholm usually speak very little Swedish and are unfamiliar with Swedish culture

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY in Sweden — around 15,000 people out of the country’s total population of 10 million — is small enough that they usually need to import rabbis from elsewhere.

While that is the case in many European and other countries with small Jewish populations, Sweden presents its own specific challenges to the incoming rabbis. Many Swedes are known to be polite but closed-off, which can make it hard to get to know congregants.

None of this is a problem for Mattias Amster, who in July became the first rabbi born and raised in Sweden to hold a pulpit in the nation’s capital.

FULL STORY For the first time ever, Stockholm has a Swedish-born rabbi (JTA)

Photo: Rabbi Mattias Amster says people appreciate his knowledge of Swedish culture. (John Gradowski)