Den symboliska fattigvården. En studie av Göteborgs mosaiska församlings inställning gentemot den östjudiska invandringen och plikten angående fattigvård 1860-1900

Abstract

This bachelor thesis examines the relationship between the immigrating Eastern Jews and the established Western Jews in Gothenburg in the period 1860 – 1900. The sources used are protocols from the Mosaic Congregation in Gothenburg, as well as its suborganizations and other documents, such as correspondence. A series of factors are considered to analyze how and why the Western Jews viewed the Eastern Jews as they did: antisemitism, class, discrimination, the term ”Eastern-Jewphobia” coined by the historian Carl Henrik Carlsson, emancipation, identity, nationalism, secularization, social closeness/distance and social closure. The Mosaic Congregation of Gothenburg together with the congregations of Norrköping, Karlskrona and Stockholm tried to abolish the duty of poor relief and enact a law which said that only citizens could be members, with the exemption of rich non-citizens thus a question of class. This thesis has shown that the reasons why only citizens could be members was mostly a symbolic gesture of nationalism, the members considered themselves ”Swedes of the mosaic faith” rather than ”Jews”. The religion was considered private and the individual was held in higher regard than the group. They were very eager to adopt the ”secular nationalistic culture” of the time and as a result the Eastern Jews became unwanted.