Judaism and Liberalism

Abstract In this article, the author explores the Jewish poor relief and how it was discussed in relation to the majority society and the immigration of so-called “Ostjuden” within the Jewish congregations in Sweden, focusing on the Jewish community in Gothenburg. The struggle to abolish the poor relief obligation and how this was perceived by authorities and in the press is examined. There were two main sides in the community debates, one side maintained it was a Jewish duty to be charitable and care for impoverished co-religionists, and the other side perceived the Jewish poor relief as an unfair “Jew-tax”, and thus a last remaining obstacle to be overcome to achieve full equality with the Christian majority.