The Jewish Community of Gothenburg
Extent and Medium
Textual and financial records, photographs and drawings.
Biographical History
The Jewish Community of Gothenburg was founded by the first Jewish immigrants to the town in 1780, and over the following decades, the small community grew to around 400. On 12 October 1855, the community inaugurated the Gothenburg’s new synagogue. From the 1830s, the community leaders were known to be very liberal adherents the Reform movement. Jews contributed significantly to Gothenburg’s flourishing industry and cultural life, and several also served as politicians in the city council. Of the Jewish families who immigrated to Gothenburg before the 1870s, only a few remain Jewish community members. Most current members are descendants of immigrants from Tsarist Russia, Holocaust refugees and survivors, as well as refugees from countries in Eastern Europe, not least Poland.
Archival History
The records were preserved by the Jewish Community of Gothenburg and were transferred to the Regional Archive in Gothenburg in 1980.
Acquisition
Deposited with the Regional Archives in 1980.
Scope and Content
The archive of the Jewish Community of Gothenburg contains the records of the community from the period of the first Jewish immigrants in the late 18th Century until the archive was deposited with the Regional Archives in Gothenburg in 1980.
In the archive, there are many records relating to the Holocaust. These include documents about the aid activities for Jewish refugees and Holocaust survivors that the community and other Jewish organizations in Gothenburg carried out during and after the time of Nazi persecution and the Holocaust.
The community's relief committee (see the series: Judiska hjälpfonden) contains correspondence, reports, and other accounts from the relief work for refugees from Nazi Germany.
The archive of Israelitiska sjukvårds- och begravningssällskapet (Chevra Kadisha) contains documents on how former concentration camp prisoners who died after arriving in Sweden were handled and buried.
In the series Handlingar angående koncentrationslägrens offer, Läns-kommitténs handlingar (Documents concerning concentration camp victims, the County committee's documents), there are documents concerning the reception, rehabilitation, and other assistance for survivors of Nazi Germany. These documents include memos and correspondence with authorities, facilities such as camps and hospitals, and Swedish and foreign aid organizations. Also in the general "main series" are documents concerning aid activities for Holocaust victims, refugees and survivors.
System of Arrangement
Thematic and chronological, according to the Swedish archival schema.
Conditions Governing Access
Permission is required and should be obtained in advance. Applications are made to the Jewish Community of Gothenburg.
Finding Aids
An index is available on request from the Regional Archives in Gothenburg.
Carlsson, Carl Henrik. Källor till judarnas historia i Sverige: arkivguide. Skrifter utgivna av Riksarkivet 44. Täby: Riksarkivet, 2022.
Rules and Conventions
EHRI Guidelines for Description v.1.0