By: Marcia Abramson
They are purported to live like most young people in a big city. The only difference is that they were born into royalty. The royal family has decreed that they live as normally as possible. King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia decided that their three children would attend regular public schools. The eldest is Crown Princess Victoria who is 26. Laws were changed so that she can be crowned Queen. In preparation for her royal duties she has broadened her knowledge of foreign affairs by studying at Yale for two years. She also completed two years of basic military training, a requirement for all Swedes who are going to serve in the United Nations. Her younger brother by two years is Prince Carl Philip. He has completed officer training in the Swedish Navy and has already traveled around the world in a mine layer, the H.M.S. Carlskrona, and is currently studying graphic design in Stockholm. Princess Madeline is the favorite of the tabloid photographers, particularly when she wears low-cut dresses at social affairs. They just love to show her cleavage, to the chagrin of her parents and siblings. I missed the Royals in my meanderings through the city, but I did catch another military parade in one of the pedestrian plazas.I can also recommend a visit to the unique Vasa Museum. Actually, the Warship Vasa was built in 1628, but never got off on its maiden voyage. It sunk with its 64 canons and was finally salvaged in 1961. The ship was meticulously preserved and reassembled to the minutest detail. It is the only warship of that era that can be inspected so thoroughly. You can also see a film on how this salvage was accomplished.
On my previous trip to Stockholm three years ago I was not able to visit the major Synagogue in Stockholm. This time I became the accidental tourist when I wandered into the beautiful Berzelii Park just across from the Berns Hotel and found the Great Synagogue. It is an historic landmark and is recognized as such by the Swedish government. It was designed by the famous non-Jewish architect, Frederik Wilhelm Scholander, in an "oriental style." It is now deemed a cultural as well as an historic treasure and may not be sold or altered in any way.
I joined a group of tourists from the Five Towns, Baltimore and New Jersey for a lecture by the synagogue's director, whose family were holocaust survivors from Hungary. We learned that there was a dedication ceremony in September of 1870 when a gas burning eternal light (ner Tamid) was kindled above the Holy Ark (Aron Hakodesh). The flame which has been electrified has been glowing ever since. The date of the dedication, 5630-1870, has been confirmed by the Hebrew inscription over the main entrance of the synagogue. While the lamp construction over the ark is from 1870, the cloth decorations around it are traditionally attributed to the time of King Gustav III around 1792. On the other hand, the eight-branched Chanukah Menorah is definitely a gift to the first synagogue. There is a Hebrew text on the stand dating the Menorah donation to 1792 in honor of King Gustav III. The Arc contains over 20 Torah Scrolls and are mostly of 19th Century origin although some of the silver breastplates bear the date 1796.
This Conservative synagogue seats about 950 worshippers. Men and women are initially separated during the formal worship services but "Family seating" has been introduced in one section of the main sanctuary and the balcony. There are also two small Orthodox synagogues in Stockholm.I also found it interesting to learn that the first Jew permitted to take up permanent residency in Sweden was a merchant from Germany named Aaron Isaac who arrived in 1774. He then brought his family and the 10 men and their families. (It was necessary to have 10 men present for a minion to hold Jewish worship services). Aaron Isaac and these "founding fathers" purchased land, dedicated a cemetery and hired a rabbi to serve as the religious leader and teacher for their children. King Gustav III was their mentor and allowed them to live in Stockholm rather than in some remote parts of the country. Today there are about 20,000 Jews in Sweden, and 12,000 living in Stockholm. I then returned to the charming Berns Hotel to get in to some warm clothes before spending my last evening in Stockholm at the Nordic Hotel's Ice Bar, where I was outfitted with thermal Arctic wear for 15 minutes of freezing temperatures surrounded by blocks of ice. I certainly could have used this environment during our electrical outage and heat wave in the Northeast. My thanks to my Silversea stewardess Angelica who came to my rescue with her Nokia cell phone charger when I found that mine was defective and also to Brad Ball of Silversea Cruises whose knowledge and guidance on what to see and do in the Baltics made this a dream voyage for me. You can get more information on these great cruises by contacting your travel agent.
Copyright © by Marcia Abramson. E-mail: mascribe@aol.com
