The Gothenburg Synagogue ( sv, Göteborgs synagoga) at Stora Nygatan, near Drottningtorget,

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Sweden, was opened in 1855 according to the designs of the German architect August Krüger. The congregation is

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

. The

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

sanctuary has 300 seats. Between 25 and 30% of the membership fees are used for security measures, as Jews risk attack from Middle Eastern,

far-left Far-left politics, also known as the radical left or the extreme left, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single definition. Some scholars consider ...

and

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

extremists. The synagogue was firebombed on Saturday, 9 December 2017. Three migrant men were arrested. Prosecutor Stina Lundqvist said about 10 to 15 people may have attacked "in concert". The attack was condemned as

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

by mayor

Ann-Sofie Hermansson Britt ''Ann-Sofie'' Hermansson (born 2 October 1964) is a Swedish politician of the Social Democrats. She was chairman (Mayor) of the Gothenburg Municipality executive board from 18 January 2016 to 22 november 2018. Career Early career Born ...

. In the aftermath of the attack, the synagogue was visited by two

cabinet ministers A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...

in a show of support from the highest political level.

References

External links

Gothenburg Synagogue
Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Sweden Ashkenazi synagogues Conservative Judaism in Europe Synagogues in Sweden

Synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

1855 establishments in Sweden Synagogues completed in 1855 Religious buildings and structures in Gothenburg 21st-century attacks on synagogues and Jewish communal organizations Conservative synagogues {{Gothenburg-stub