On Monday April 30th the Toronto Star print edition published an opinion piece by Rabbi emeritus Dow Marmur about a Swedish documentary film that addresses the rescue by Swedish authorities of thousands from Nazi concentration camps. The article also makes reference to the mayor of Malmö, Ilmar Reepalu, who was born in Estonia, suggesting that because of his pro-Muslim stance he is also an anti-Semite. Although that is a leap of logic I was unable to find either corroborating or refuting material online in English. Perhaps there is something in Swedish, a language that I do not read or speak. If there is material available I would appreciate a summary, as such allegations can be irresponsible.
Rabbi Marmur’s two quotes are as follows:
“Its mayor, Ilmar Reepalu, himself came as a small child to Sweden with his refugee parents from Estonia. He has now become one of the supporters of the many Muslims who more recently settled there. Allegedly to please them, he has turned against the city’s 1,500 Jews.
And:
“The Bible tells that oppression came when “a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph,” once a welcome and most distinguished immigrant. Though the comparison flatters Reepalu, it may nevertheless be apt to reflect that Malmo now has a mayor who’s turning the harbour of hope into a pit of prejudice.”
In the interest of unbiased and truthful coverage I hope that those with a command of Swedish will either write in to this newspaper or email the undersigned at
Rabbi Marmur’s opinion piece can be found in full online at:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion...