Judar är en av Sveriges nationella minoriteter. Enligt Sveriges lag ska de nationella minoriteternas möjligheter att bevara och utveckla sin kultur främjas. Samtidigt vittnar judar om ökad antisemitism i det svenska samhället. Denna studie utforskar hur tidskriften Judisk Krönika skildrar judiska identiteter i Sverige samt hur upprätthållandet av dessa identiteter påverkas av antisemitism. Genom en tematisk innehållsanalys med hjälp av Giddens teori om självidentiteter är gemenskap och potentiella risker med att uttrycka sin identitet centrala faktorer för att upprätthålla judiska identiteter. Närmare bestämt formas judiska identiteter av historia, kulturliv, traditioner, värderingar samt erfarenheter av antisemitism et cetera. Sammanfattningsvis belyser Judisk Krönika att judiska identiteter är dynamiska och kontextberoende, präglade av både kollektiva och individuella erfarenheter.

This study strives to chart the occurrence of mystic and kabbalistic influences inthe textual liturgic material of Jewish prayer books - siddurim - in Stockholm,during the 19th century as well as of today. Two prayer books, both focusing onthe prayer service for sabbath and festivals, were studied and compared to amaterial corresponding to a more traditionally inclined ashkenaz liturgy. Alongsidethis comparative method, the study made use of the hermeneutics of Hans-GeorgeGadamer in order to gain a more thorough understanding of the backgroundleading up to the selection of materials within the Swedish siddurim. This involveda broad historical research of Jewish mysticism, Jewish liturgy and Jewish life inSweden. Furthermore, the reception history theory of Gadamer and Hans-RobertJauss was employed to analyze the reception of mystic and kabbalistic influencesupon the Swedish prayer books, taking in account the ways in which religioustexts are viewed within a certain tradition, depending on theological agendas,historical context, and the intercommunion between these, especially taking thereformist wave of Judaism in the 19th century under consideration. The results andanalysis came to show that, although there had been an extensive purge of explicitkabbalistic materials in the 19th century, texts with very clear connotations tomerkavah mysticism still remained. The siddur in use today has also reintroducedkabbalistic material to the liturgy. Through the lens of reception history theory,mystic and/or kabbalistic influences are shown to be a part of Jewish liturgy inStockholm, sometimes understood as an integral part of a wider liturgic tradition,sometimes as a devotional - but not explicitly esoteric - addition to the prayerservice.