Shul! – The Old Town’s synagogue

The Jewish Museum in Stockholm presents a new exhibition on Sweden’s oldest preserved synagogue at Själagårdsgatan 19, giving an insight on the early Jewish community who built religious and communal life there between 1795 and 1870.

Until about 150 years ago, Själagårdsgatan 19 housed a synagogue. Jewish life unfolded here through worship, holiday celebrations, education, and major life events. The synagogue served as a centre of Jewish life in the city and across the country. For nearly a century, from 1795 to 1870, the Jews of Stockholm gathered here to take part in community life and to seek guidance and support from the rabbi. Community leaders worked to solve everyday challenges and improve the conditions for Jews across Sweden.

The exhibition’s title, Shul, is a common name for synagogues in Yiddish – a language that many Jews have brought with them to Sweden over the centuries. The word literally means “school.” Since synagogues have always been places for learning, shul had become the everyday term for synagogues, which is still used today.

The people who prayed, lived, and worked here were pioneers of Jewish life in Sweden. This exhibition tells their story and the story of their Old Town shul.