Israel Matzav

Malmo synagogue attacked

An explosion of firecrackers outside the Jewish synagogue in Malmo, Sweden during the night between last Thursday and Friday broke several windows in the synagogue. While the Jewish community in Malmo - which has been harassed for some time - is treating the incident as an attack or attempted attack on the synagogue, while the Swedish police are taking it less seriously (Hat Tip: Jihad Watch).

While the local police claim that there was no particular threat against the synagogue prior to the explosion, readers of this blog can easily argue that there is a general threat to the Malmö Jewish community. This is perhaps also why the local police decided to classify the explosion outside Malmö Synagogue as “vandalism” while the chairman of the Jewish community in Malmö states that the Jewish community sees the explosion as a “attack or an attempted attack” on the synagogue.

As reported by the local newspaper Skånskan, since the beginning of the year there has been an increased threat against Jewish families in Malmö. The feelings of insecurity and lack of personal safety are today so strong that some Jewish families have chosen to leave the city, or even to leave Sweden. Following the public outcry by the Jewish community in Malmö and the formation of a group to foster communication among various ethnic groups in the city, Chairman of the Jewish Community Fred Kahn had reported that hopes were that the situation now looked a little brighter.

Until now…

...

The local police force feels that it is not necessary to enforce security around the synagogue although it is evident that the Jewish Community remains in a state of constant threat. How long the small Jewish community can persist under threat in Malmö while being forced to bear the cost of intensive security protection, and without the freedom to openly identify as Jews, is anybody’s guess. Despite Mayor Reepalu’s belief that this is the Jews’ problem, evidence shows that violence is everybody’s problem in Malmö.

/Sound of crickets in the background.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:19 PM