On your right, you will spot a pale stone building with tall, narrow windows and an ornate, flat roofline accented by a prominent band of Hebrew lettering carved into the upper facade. This is the Great Synagogue of Stockholm, completed in 1870.
Look at that facade. The design is Moorish Revival, an architectural style that borrowed intricate geometric patterns and arches from Islamic Spain and North Africa. Take a peek at your screen to see a close-up of one of the decorative windows from this beautiful structure. But getting this built was a surprisingly dramatic affair.
The original architect, Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander, had a massive clash of egos with the community leaders. In 1863, he flatly refused to attend a planning meeting, sending a highly insulting letter instead. The issue was that the congregation wanted a massive organ. Now, an organ is a hallmark of Reform Judaism, a progressive movement adapting Jewish practice to modern life, but it required altering the sanctuary layout. When the community brought in a second architect to fit the organ, Scholander felt his architectural honor was attacked and nearly walked off the job entirely.
He eventually came back to finish the sanctuary, giving it a uniquely Scandinavian twist. He actually designed the ceiling to resemble the upside-down hull of a Viking ship.
The historical weight of this place is absolutely staggering. Beneath the synagogue sits the Jewish Community Library, once overseen by Rabbi Marcus Ehrenpreis. A brilliantly complex intellectual, he led the community from 1914 to 1951. He was also a crucial player in one of history's greatest rescue operations. On July 5, 1944, the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg visited the Rabbi to plan the logistics of his famous mission to Budapest. Ehrenpreis was one of the last people in Sweden to see Wallenberg alive before he traveled into Nazi territory, saving tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews.
Just outside, you will find the Holocaust memorial wall. It is a striking forty-two-meter structure, but it is unique in its purpose. This wall does not mark a mass grave. Instead, it serves as a symbolic tombstone for those who have none. Check your app for an image of the etched stone. It bears eight thousand five hundred names, but specifically, these are the murdered parents, siblings, and children of Jewish families who had safely reached Sweden.
Today, the Great Synagogue continues to evolve. In 2015, Ute Steyer took over, making history as the first female rabbi in Sweden. She leads a congregation that beautifully balances historical roots with modern integration, navigating a landscape where an old organ still sits in a sanctuary now following the more traditional Conservative rites.
If you want to step inside to see that Viking ship ceiling, they are open for a few hours on Thursday mornings, Friday evenings, and Saturday mornings, but are closed the rest of the week.
