Malmö fights Jew-hate with new project

THE CITY of Malmö and its Jewish community have joined forces to fight antisemitism and increase knowledge about Jews among the city’s youth.

The project, which is funded by the Swedishgovernment’sagencyforyouth and civil society, is designed to give up to 300 teachers the tools to discuss antisemitism and other forms of racism with their pupils.

Teachers who choose to take part in the programme are encouraged to use short videos and exercises to broach the subject of antisemitism with pupils.

“We have to talk openly about antisemitism and not keep a low profile,” said Fredrik Sieradzki, who runs the Jewish Information Centre in Malmö. “If we don’t do it, then who will?”

The former mayor of Malmö, Ilmar Reepalu, and his administration, have been criticised for failing to address the problem of antisemitism, particularly among the city’s Muslim population.

There have also been reports in Swedish media of teachers hiding their Jewish identity from their pupils.

Today, there is deeper understanding of the situation among city officials, according to Mr Sieradzki.

“We hope to reach those who teach in areas where a large portion of the population has roots in the Middle East, but we can’t control which schools take on the programme,” he said.

Malmöhasreceivedworldwideattentionforitsproblemswithantisemitism. Two of President Barack Obama’s special envoys to monitor and combat antisemitism have travelled to the city to meet city officials and members of the Jewish community.