According to history, there are two assumptions in this regard:
- First, Sweden has had an active security office in its embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran since the Second World War.
- Second, Sweden is not an independent country, and particularly during the 20th century, it was economically run by Jewish families. The country is also under full US influence when it comes to security issues.
Jewish names have been registered in documents left behind from the 17th century in Sweden. In 1680, Jews in the capital Stockholm demanded the king allow them to reside in the city without requiring them to give up their faith. But their demand was dismissed because the local legislature had refused to approve it. On December 3, 1685, Charles XI ordered the governor general of Stockholm not to allow Jews to settle in the capital city or other parts of Sweden over “the danger of the influence of the Jewish religion on the pure biblical faith." If Jews were found living in any part of Sweden, they would be notified that they should leave within fourteen days.
In 1681, twenty-eight Jews were baptized at the German Church, Stockholm, in the presence of the Swedish King in order to be allowed to live in the European country. These documents show that the Jews had not been accepted in the Swedish society.
King Charles XII, who along with his army lived in a port in today’s Turkiye for more than 5 years, brought a number of Jews to Sweden when returning to his homeland. Having been in debt to these Jews, the king was forced to provide facilities to the Jewish community in Sweden.
Thanks to the support of the court, Jewish merchants were occasionally appointed as royal suppliers. And, one or several rich Jews usually accompanied King Charles XII -- known as Carl XII in Sweden -- to pay the costs of his army while he was abroad. It was in 1718 when Jews were granted permission to reside in Sweden without the need to renounce their religion.
In 1782, a decree was issued due to the efforts of a prominent member of the Swedish parliament, Anders Chidnius, limiting Jews to residing in the cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg, Norrköping, and later Karlskrona. They were prohibited from trading or owning property in markets in other cities, holding public office, or converting Lutherans to the Jewish faith.
The government aimed to attract wealthy Jews to the country, while also taking measures to discourage jewelry vendors, some of whom had arrived in Sweden from Germany in previous years. Consequently, every foreign Jew arriving in Sweden had to report to local officials within eight days, providing a passport, identity certificate, and a statement of their purpose for coming to the country. These certificates, issued by the elders of the immigrant's congregation in their native country, had to be verified by the local municipal authorities where the immigrant last resided. If the certificates were unsatisfactory, the authorities could expel the holder, but if accepted, the immigrant would be sent to Stockholm, Gothenburg, or Norrkoping. Jews residing in the country before the publication of this decree were required to present their identity certificate and a statement of their settlement and livelihood to the relevant authorities. The decree listed the various occupations that Jews were allowed to perform, and also mandated that they apprentice their sons to Swedish merchants in one of these three cities. It was stipulated that no foreign-born Jew could start a business unless they had at least 2,000 Swedish riksdaler in cash or negotiable bonds, while a native Jew only needed 1000 riksdaler. Rabbis were exempt, and in accordance with previous rulings, poor Jews had to be expelled from the country.
In retail trade, Jews were restricted from selling food, alcohol, and drugs. They were only permitted to sell their own food items, such as kosher meat, Jewish unleavened bread, and wine, within their community. Furthermore, Jewish retailers were not allowed to sell their goods outside of their city of residence (which was limited to Stockholm, Gothenburg, Karlskrona, and Norrköping), and they were prohibited from conducting business in open shops or through door-to-door peddling.
Jews were allowed to establish synagogues in the above three cities and retain rabbis and other clerical officials. Marriage between Jews and Christians was forbidden. For each Jewish marriage, an amount equal to six riksdalers was paid to the orphanage of the Royal Guards, which was considered as compensation to the army for exempting Jews from military service. In order to protect the interests of the descendants of immigrant Jews, the government ruled that when a Jew dies, the elders of the community must prepare a list of his assets and present it to the court for orphans or the municipality. However, Jews had the right to appoint guardians for minors, and the rabbinic court had jurisdiction over inheritance cases.
In lawsuits between Jews and Christians where the truth could not be proved except by oath, the Jew might be ordered to take the customary Jewish oath in the synagogue before the judge. A Jew convicted of perjury was subject to expulsion from the country. In 1774, Aron Isaac moved from Bützow to Stockholm and started working as a seal engraver and later became a merchant. In 1779, the Swedish Parliament issued permission to establish a synagogue in Stockholm, which Isaac launched.
He later became a supplier to the Swedish army, especially during the Russo-Swedish War between 1788 and 1790.
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