The Jewish Uppsala

The picture above is from Trädgårdsgatan in 1952 with Hugo Valentin in a hat in the middle

* The text below is a translation from the original Swedish transcript which was written by Susanne Levin.

Aaron Isaac (1730–1817) was Sweden's very first Jew. When he arrived in Stockholm from Mecklenburg on June 24, 1774 Jews were not permitted to live in Sweden. A Jew had to be baptized and adopt a new Christian name to be allowed to remain in the country.

But Aaron Isaac stated that he had come to Sweden to trade and exchange his goods, not his religion. He was a skilled seal engraver, and as people wanted to keep him and his immediate family - a total of ten men – in Sweden they became to be what was known as “protected Jews” in Stockholm.

The first thing that happened was that the city of Stockholm allocated land for a Jewish cemetery. Thereafter a synagogue was built, and the first Jewish congregation was founded in 1776 in Stockholm. However, it was ordered that synagogues would only be permitted in locations where they could be monitored by the police. Aaron Isaac had to stay indoors for a few weeks after the first Jews were allowed to remain, as he risked being stoned by Stockholmers if he ventured going out.

From 1782, the so-called “Jewish Ordinance” regulated the rights and obligations of Jews in Sweden. Jews could not become members of Parliament, were not deemed to be credible witnesses, could only marry Jewish women, and were restricted to reside in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Norrköping. A few Jews were allowed to settle in Karlskrona.

Jews were not permitted to work in crafts or as civil servants, but they could engage in trade. This “Jewish Ordinance” was abolished in 1838 and thereafter, Swedish Christians and Jews were treated equally in all respects except that Jews were still not allowed to own land. However, the emancipation edict caused public outrage, particularly against the free settlement rights for Jews, leading the government to revoke it. Foreign Jews were still restricted to live only in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Norrköping and Karlskrona. However, Jews born in Sweden were allowed to settle anywhere. From 1860, there were no restrictions even for immigrant Jews, and they were also permitted to own land. Interfaith marriages were allowed from 1863, and in 1870, a constitutional amendment granted Jews full equality with all other Swedes.

In the early 18th century, three teachers of Hebrew and Aramaic took turns teaching at Uppsala University. These "language masters" had to be baptized to be allowed to work as teachers and translators. Unfortunately, despite leaving Judaism behind, these men and their families lived in social misery - as “once a Jew, always a Jew.” This was the case even for Johan Kämper - born Moses Aron - who made significant contributions as an orientalist.

The first Jew to come to Uppsala without renouncing his Jewish identity was Ruben Rubenson, Sweden's first Jewish academic teacher. He arrived already 1838. He was most likely granted special permission by the government to settle here. Rubenson was an adjunct in meteorology at the university.

Later, David Davidsson - a prominent figure in economics - arrived in Uppsala. He was a professor of economics and financial science at the university.

My father’s parents came to Uppsala at the beginning of the 20th century. My grandfather, Eskil Levin, owned a department store in Uppsala at the corner of Vaksalagatan and Storgatan in a building recently demolished to make way for “Musikens Hus” (the Music House). It was called "Varuimporten" (commodity import). My grandfather’s brother, Abraham, ran a smaller store called "Grand Basar" near Folkets Hus - now Stadsteatern (the city’s theatre). Other merchants of that time were Rachmel Gordin, Alter Fränkel, and Isak Marksson.

By 1930, there were 52 members of the Mosaic faith in Uppsala, including women and children. The men were either university employees or engaged in trade. Uppsala’s Jewish population were members of the Mosaic congregation in Stockholm. This did not necessarily mean they were practicing Jews, but until 1952 - when the Dissenter Law was enacted - all Swedish citizens had to belong to some religious congregation.

Nobel laureate in medicine Robert Bárány - literary scholar and later Swedish Academy member Martin Lamm - and psychiatry professor Bernhard Jacobowsky were all secular Jews.

The lack of religious interest meant that no Jewish congregation or association existed in Uppsala until after World War II. Jewish boys preparing for their bar mitzvahs at the beginning of the century had to travel to Stockholm, where Uppsala’s Jews were also married and buried.

After Kristallnacht in 1938, the Mosaic congregation in Stockholm was granted government permission to take in 500 Jewish refugee children from Germany, provided the congregation covered their expenses. A children's home was established in Uppsala for six Jewish boys, although 15 lived there during the home’s seven years of operation, including future Swedish Film Institute director Harry Schein.

A religious school was linked to the orphanage to strengthen the children’s self-esteem and Jewish awareness. Abraham Brody, a Hungarian Jew who had earned a doctorate in Semitic languages in Uppsala, held weekly lessons in Judaism, Hebrew and Jewish history for an average of nineteen children per year. The children were taught in the facilities of Balderskolan and in addition to the orphanage boys native Jewish children from Uppsala also had the opportunity to learn about Judaism in their own city during these years. At Balderskolan, Susanne, the daughter of history lecturer Hugo Valentin, and Ingrid, the daughter of merchant Alter Fränkel, attended.

During the war, several Norwegian and Danish refugees came to Uppsala. My aunt Birgit recounted that the refugees contributed to a more active Jewish religious community in Uppsala during these years than previously.

After World War II, when the concentration camps had been emptied and the survivors had recovered - such as at “Lövstabruk Herrgård” (Lövstabruk mansion) - my Hungarian Jewish mother - among others, arrived in Uppsala. If she had wanted to move to Stockholm it would not have been possible. Suddenly, it was no longer permitted for Jews to settle in major cities where Jewish populations already existed! Instead, Jews were directed to smaller cities as Uppsala.

My mother was a trained seamstress when she came to Uppsala. She had learned sewing in her mother’s atelier in Pécs and had even attended a tailoring course. She had great talent and a keen interest in sewing. But in Miss Sagermark’s sewing studio on Sysslomansgatan, she was forced to work for starvation wages and slept on a bed pulled out of a closet. One of the Swedish girls that also worked there - who had her own three-room apartment - offered my mother a room upon seeing her conditions. The two of them then sought jobs at Söderberg’s coat factory, where many other surviving Jewish girls were already working.

Hjalmar Söderberg’s coat factory, Sidenväveriet (the silk weaving mill), Nymans verkstäder (workshops), Nordviror, Makaronifabriken (the macaroni factory). It was here where the survivors, referred to as Jewish refugees, worked to build new lives in Uppsala. Often, they lived in poor conditions in cold rooms while their children were left in a day nursery at Svintorget.

In 2010, a memorial called Poetisk viloplats (Poetic Resting Place) was established in Tullgarnsparken, on the other side of the river opposite “studenternas idrottsplats” (the students sports field). The memorial, a blooming chair created by artist Ulla Viotti, honours the survivors’ heroic struggle and adaptation in Uppsala.

In 1946, the Jewish Socialist Association - Kulturvinkel – started to meet on S:t Larsgatan. The members originally came from Poland and had been so-called Bundists there. Key figures included Tobias Amster (his son is now a culture writer for Svenska Dagbladet) and Ber Perelmuter.

A more Zionist-oriented association called Judiska Kommittén (The Jewish Committee) was led by Professor Hugo Valentin, a Swedish-born Jew and historian. During the war Hugo Valentin was an active contributor to the then Jewish Chronicle and made a significant impact with his book The History of the Jews in Sweden. Valentin was a pivotal figure for Uppsala’s Jewish community, especially for encouraging Jewish youth.

Initially, both associations operated separately, but over time Judiska Kommittén grew stronger and eventually merged with Kulturvinkel and became to be called Judiska Föreningen i Uppsala (The Jewish Association in Uppsala). Uppsala then had a single association.

By 1948, the association had 150 members and rented premises on Trädgårdsgatan. Torah scrolls, saved from a German synagogue and donated by a Stockholm rabbi, finally received a proper home with an elegant cabinets crafted by Samuel Weitz. Weitz arrived in Uppsala 1948 and started as a dishwasher at Gästis ölkafé where he was subjected to anti-Jewish insults. He then changed jobs to work at Stål och Maskin AB (Steel and Machine Ltd.) where he worked while commuting to evening classes at Konstfackskolan (The School of Arts and Crafts) for four years. It was Hugo Valentin who had encouraged him to apply for the courses. In 1955 Samuel Weitz was able to start his own advertising agency.

In the mid-1950s, when it became permitted for Jews to live anywhere in Sweden, more than half of the members of the Jewish Association left Uppsala. Many settled in Stockholm to be able to live a fuller Jewish life in an easier manner. There, they could find synagogues and a richer Jewish community. Others moved to Israel, the USA, or Canada to reunite with surviving relatives and friends.

Isaac Rosenfeldt in the foreground. Hugo Valentin in the back center

For those who remained in Uppsala, Jewish life was tied to the association - where Jewish holidays were celebrated together under varying leadership. Samuel Weitz led during the 1950s, Isaac Rosenfeld from 1959 to 1974, and Abraham Grienspan thereafter - with some short breaks - continuing into the 2000s.

Abraham Grienspan

The Jewish women in Uppsala have long fought to keep the association alive. They held positions such as chairperson—Julia Bakall, Regina Frydman, and Inna Feldman—but also worked tirelessly with passionate dedication. Catharina Lovén, above all, has toiled to ensure Jewish life continues over the past decades.

The Sunday school on Trädgårdsgatan in the mid-fifties. Basia Frydman is the tallest girl.

The Jewish Association’s premises have been located in several places over the years—in attics and basements; Trädgårdsgatan, Dalgatan, Hjalmar Brantingsgatan, Torkelsgatan. Today, we and our Torah scrolls are located in a basement where we hold our religious and cultural gatherings.

The education in Hebrew and Judaism that began at Balderskolan when the German-Jewish refugee children lived here in the 1940s has long since ceased. Indeed, it continued at Balder during the 1950s and 60s and was revived when the third generation’s children were preparing for their bar and bat mitzvahs in the late 1980s, but now it seems to have ended for good.

The Jewish population in Uppsala is becoming increasingly secularized, primarily due to intermarriages. Yet, to our joy, we can glimpse a renewed interest in Jewish religion and culture among Uppsala’s third-generation Jews. In our premises, not only we seniors gather but also our children and grandchildren.

In the late 1960s, a new group of immigrants arrived in Uppsala from Poland. However, most of them - having been expelled from their homeland - did not want to be reminded of their Jewishness. Perhaps many hardly even knew they were Jewish themselves. But there were some exceptions. One of the most notable was Julian Ilicki, who became to be one of the Association’s memorable chairpersons, and for many years he was also the most knowledgeable and articulate voice of the local Jews in the Upsala Nya Tidning (the local daily newspaper in Uppsala).

I remember Julian with warmth and gratitude from the time of the Student Association in the early 1970s.

We, the children of survivors - unlike our parents - were able to attend school and later university. The memorial monument Poetic Viloplats in Tullgarnsparken, where flowers grow in the chair, symbolizes the strength our parents passed on to us children.

Yom HaHatzmaut 1956.

Our current chairperson, Adam Ilicki (Julian’s younger brother), is one of many Jewish doctors in Uppsala. The city has also nurtured pedagogues, professors and a handful of cultural workers. Marta’s daughter, Katarina Hellgren, has for many years performed with music the story of her mother’s journey from Budapest through Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen to Uppsala. Alongside her other music engagements, she has also made highly appreciated visits to the elderly at the Jewish Home. Hasia and Simon Frydman's eldest daughter, the drama actress Basia, is another of the children of the survivors whom Uppsala's Jews will forever remember with special pride and warmth.

* Text by Susanne Levin, November 11, 2024.

Susanne Levin is the author of stories from Jewish Uppsala, published by Natur och Kultur: Living On (1994), As My Own (1996), The Sow in the Cathedral (1998), Back to Király Street (2000), and Writing You Back to Life (2003).

The documentary They Became Our Mothers, from 2015, was initiated by Susanne Levin and produced by Skaparkraft Film and Music Production. It is available for download on Skaparkraft’s website and is also shown at Fyrisbiografen in connection with Holocaust Memorial Day.