SwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

Rubin Dranger writes about hidden Jewish lives

"Hidden Jewish Lives" is the book that Joanna Rubin Dranger felt she had to write. With it, she wants to give a voice to those who do not dare to stand up for their Jewish identity. Many people live with constantly calculating the risks, she says.

» Published: 05 December 2024

Rubin Dranger writes about hidden Jewish lives
Photo: Jessica Gow / TT

In the wake of Joanna Rubin Dranger's book "Remember Us to Life" in 2022, many readers got in touch. One reader in particular touched her – the letter writer told her how they had decided to hide their Jewish identity out of direct fear.

The letter was so naked and poignant, and I started crying when I read it, says Rubin Dranger.

In "Hidden Jewish Lives", she interviews over thirty people living with hidden Jewish identities in Sweden, five of the stories are depicted as comic strips.

Stories Come to the Fore

A young woman's grandfather survived the Holocaust and erased all traces of his background, so that the family wouldn't be identifiable as Jews "if it were to happen again". In the family, the hidden heritage has created tensions across three generations.

Another person dare not tell their friends or colleagues at the preschool about their Jewish identity, despite an otherwise norm-breaking life. A third person fears for their children's safety.

Rubin Dranger began to wonder if anyone had written about this before, but couldn't find any evidence of it.

Now, several generations after the Holocaust, these stories are coming to the fore. I initially thought that some of the interviewees were on their way to "coming out" as Jews when they told me, but that wasn't the case for most of them.

When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year, Rubin Dranger was in the middle of working on the book, and many became scared. One person wrote to her: "Just when I start talking about this, it happens".

First, the pogrom-like massacre, and immediately after, a wave of anti-Semitism that hasn't stopped. No one dropped out of the project immediately due to October 7, but some withdrew because they didn't feel safe, even though they were anonymous, she says.

Calculations

For Joanna Rubin Dranger, it's important to bring these stories to light for several reasons. One is that everyone who can identify with them, and who have thought they were alone, can have their experiences validated. But also because they say something about a Sweden that few know about, she means:

We imagine a society where most people can be who they are. These stories show that people hide who they are, because it feels too unsafe and dangerous to be open about being Jewish, she says and continues:

And I think that many people in Sweden can identify with "moderating their otherness" in different situations, it's not just a Jewish experience.

Age: 54 years.

Occupation: Cartoonist and author.

Selected books: "Arg! The Angriest Book of the 90s", "Miss Anxiety & Love", "Miss Remarkable & Career", "Day Dreamer, Daydreamer", "Count with Nell" and "Remember Us to Life".

Current: With the comic and interview book "Hidden Jewish Lives".

Tags
TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Sweden Radio changes music after school shooting
1 MIN READ

Sweden Radio changes music after school shooting

The Swedish DJ star on his tinnitus: "Shocked"
1 MIN READ

The Swedish DJ star on his tinnitus: "Shocked"

This week's film and series – Harrison Ford becomes the Hulk
2 MIN READ

This week's film and series – Harrison Ford becomes the Hulk

Star embroiled in racism scandal – Netflix distances itself
2 MIN READ

Star embroiled in racism scandal – Netflix distances itself

Tough economic situation for museums and stages
2 MIN READ

Tough economic situation for museums and stages

140 New Works to the Modern Museum
1 MIN READ

140 New Works to the Modern Museum

The Children's Books about Emma and Totte are Being Made into a Film
1 MIN READ

The Children's Books about Emma and Totte are Being Made into a Film

Rickard Olsson competes in "Let's Dance"
1 MIN READ

Rickard Olsson competes in "Let's Dance"

Joe Biden signs deal with star agency
1 MIN READ

Joe Biden signs deal with star agency

Two years after the attack: Rushdie trial begins
3 MIN READ

Two years after the attack: Rushdie trial begins

From Fantasy to Saxophone in the Second Round
2 MIN READ

From Fantasy to Saxophone in the Second Round

David Ritschard moves concerts to the autumn
1 MIN READ

David Ritschard moves concerts to the autumn

200-year-old marble parts in new sculpture
1 MIN READ

200-year-old marble parts in new sculpture

The Opera Stages a New Work in Sami
1 MIN READ

The Opera Stages a New Work in Sami

New documentary series about Joakim Lundell's childhood
1 MIN READ

New documentary series about Joakim Lundell's childhood

Putin revives Soviet-era "Eurovision"
1 MIN READ

Putin revives Soviet-era "Eurovision"

They Play in the Musical "Aladdin"
1 MIN READ

They Play in the Musical "Aladdin"

Juliette Binoche will lead the jury in Cannes
1 MIN READ

Juliette Binoche will lead the jury in Cannes

Elecktra and Benjamin Ingrosso received a prize at the QX Gala
2 MIN READ

Elecktra and Benjamin Ingrosso received a prize at the QX Gala

Jury reshuffle in American "Talent" - Spice Girls star Mel B new member
1 MIN READ

Jury reshuffle in American "Talent" - Spice Girls star Mel B new member