Home
Assignments
Bookmarks
Minority languages in Sweden: Yiddish
Upgrade for more content
During what world war were over six milion jews murdered in concentration camps?
It's the year 70. And here, in a part of the Roman empire, live the Jewish people. They speak a language called Aramaic and use another language, Hebrew in religious contexts. The Jews try to rebel against the Romans. They fail.
The Romans burn the city of Jerusalem and kick the Jews out of the empire. Many escape to Spain and eventually move on north. On the way they pick up words from Spanish and French. In the tenth century, many Jews live here. In the country that - at this time - is called the Holy Roman Empire.
Here the Jews start speaking German. Around the beginning of the 11th century Christian knights fight Muslims in Jerusalem, and call it the Crusades. But the knights also murder Jews in Europe. The Jews flee east, to Poland and Russia where they speak Slavic languages. And now something happens: a new language is born.
This language blends: German words - for everyday life Hebrew words - for religious things Some Spanish and French words And Slavic words - especially for food. This language is Yiddish. The name comes from the word "Jid" - Jew. The first Jews come to Sweden in the 16th century. Not much is known about them.
What is known is that in the 17th century any Jew who wishes to stay in Sweden must abandon his or her religion and become a Christian. In the 18th century, King Gustav the Third invites Jews to Sweden - he thinks that they're hardworking. Now the Jews may keep their religion, but working life here is highly regulated by organizations for every profession: the guilds. Only guild members have the right to work in each respective profession and the Jews are not members. To make sure they don't compete with the guilds, there are new rules written in 1782: The Jew regulation.
Jews are only allowed to work in three Swedish cities: Stockholm, Gothenburg and Norrköping. Here they are allowed to own factories and shipping lines, trade goods, or do some hand craftwork. In 1815 there is a debate in the Riksdag about Jews' rights. It's a very racist debate: The Jews are considered 'dishonest' and their trade allegedly 'ruins the state finances'. The result of the debate is that...
no new Jews are allowed to move to Sweden; they may only marry other Jews; and emigrating Jews must leave behind a third of their property. In the 1830's new ideas spread throughout Europe. Ideas for individuals' rights and against the state's involvement in the individuals' private lives: Liberalism. People protest against the guilds' power. Everyone ought to be able to work in whatever line of work they'd like, and everyone is of equal worth, even the Jews.
In 1838, The Jew regulation is suspended - the Jews can work and live wherever they want to. Later, in Russia - in 1881 - the Russian tzar Alexander II is murdered. A socialist terrorist group blows him up. But the Jews get the blame. They are persecuted and murdered.
A lot of them escape Russia - mostly to the USA - some to Sweden. At the beginning of the 20th century the Jews in Russia are blamed for a little bit of everything; they are again being persecuted - and flee. Because of these persecutions the Jewish population in Sweden doubles between the years 1880 and 1930... ... from 3,000 to 6,000. During the Second World War, more than six million Jews are murdered in the Nazis' concentration camps.
About 10,000 are brought to safety in Sweden. 12 million people spoke Yiddish in Europe before the Second World War. Today there is only 4 million speakers left -- in the whole world. 25,000 Jews live in Sweden today -- 4,000 of them speak Yiddish. Yiddish is written with the Hebrew alphabet, and from right to left.
But Yiddish belongs to another language family than Hebrew. Since it contains many German words it is considered a Germanic language in the Indo-European language family. Just like Swedish. In Sweden, Yiddish is spoken mostly at traditional holidays. But Yiddish also has modern words.
Like the word for the at-sign. Schtrudl. This comes from a German word for a rolled up apple pastry. So Yiddish continues to develop, and - being a national minority language - gets help to be able to survive in Sweden.