Associate professor in history, currently employed as a researcher at the Hugo Valentin Centre, Uppsala University.
My research has mainly dealt with Swedish responses to the Second World War and the Holocaust. My PhD dissertation, which focused on Jewish refugee aid and relief work, was published as a monograph under the title The Swedish Jews and the Holocaust (Routledge 2017). I have since been a visiting research fellow at the University of Oxford’s Changing Character of War Programme, and a post-doc at the Hugo Valentin Center where I co-edited the volume Early Holocaust Memory in Sweden: Archives, Memories, and Reflections (Palgrave 2021). From 2019 to 2021, I led the Swedish part of Yerusha, an initiative of the Rothschild Foundation in Europe to create an online platform for sources to Jewish history. With a background as a museum curator, I also worked as an exhibition planner and advisor to the Jewish Museum in Stockholm. I am currently employed as a researcher at the Hugo Valentin Centre, where I am conducting research about the rehabilitation of Holocaust survivors in Sweden in the immediate post-war years. The project is funded by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet). I have also published numerous articles and book chapters on related topics.
This dissertation aims to provide new knowledge about Jewish responses to the Nazi persecutions a... more This dissertation aims to provide new knowledge about Jewish responses to the Nazi persecutions and the Holocaust. This has been done through a study of the actions of the Jewish minority in Sweden ...
This book investigates the memory of the Holocaust in Sweden and concentrates on early initiative... more This book investigates the memory of the Holocaust in Sweden and concentrates on early initiatives to document and disseminate information about the genocide during the late 1940s until the early 1 ...
"We will be judged in our own time and in the future by measuring the aid that we, inhabitants of... more "We will be judged in our own time and in the future by measuring the aid that we, inhabitants of a free and fortunate country, gave to our brethren in this time of greatest disaster." This declaration, made shortly after the pogroms of November 1938 by the Jewish communities in Sweden, was truer than anyone could have forecast at the time. Pontus Rudberg focuses on this sensitive issue – Jewish responses to the Nazi persecutions and mass murder of Jews. What actions did Swedish Jews take to aid the Jews in Europe during the years 1933–45 and what determined their policies and actions?
Specific attention is given to the aid efforts of the Jewish Community of Stockholm, including the range of activities in which the community engaged and the challenges and opportunities presented by official refugee policy in Sweden.
This dissertation aims to provide new knowledge about Jewish responses to the Nazi persecutions a... more This dissertation aims to provide new knowledge about Jewish responses to the Nazi persecutions and the Holocaust. This has been done through a study of the actions of the Jewish minority in Sweden during the Nazi era. The study focuses on the Jewish Community of Stockholm (Mosaiska församlingen i Stockholm, or MFST) but also looks at other Jewish organizations as well as Jewish individuals in Sweden and their differing responses, here conceptualized as political actions (like protesting and lobbying), refugee assistance and relief. This study seeks to contextualize the response of Swedish Jews through an evaluation of their room for maneuver and incitements to act. It has identified a number of factors that, to a varying degree, enhanced or limited Swedish Jews’ ability to aid the victims of Nazi terror, including Swedish immigration legislation and refugee policy, the availability of information about the extent of Nazi atrocities, the relative effectiveness of Jewish organizations, and the financial resources available to the various Jewish relief committees. The ‘liberal imagination’ of the Jewish elite, and a system of refugee aid based on traditional philanthropy also shaped the Swedish Jewish response – and neither was adequate to the scope and enormity of Nazi violence against the Jews. Nevertheless Swedish Jews engaged in a wide range of aid efforts. They raised a large amount of money for relief aid, and supported many refugees financially. They protested against German persecution, as well as Swedish and international indifference to the plight of the Jews. Swedish Jewish representatives repeatedly tried to influence the Swedish and US governments to adopt a more generous policy towards Jewish refugees. They negotiated with Swedish officials in order to raise the immigration quotas for Jewish refugees and introduce new categories of persons who might be eligible for entry. At the time there were two major international networks of Jewish organizations, one mainly Liberal and one predominantly Zionist. This dissertation also shows that the MFST not only was influenced by both of these networks, but also that it took an active role in them. Although previously described as divided, the study shows that the Swedish Jews acted for the most part in concert and that there was broad support among them for the aid policies of the MFST.
Bistand trots motstand : Hjalpsandningarna fran judar i Sverige till koncentrationslagerfangar i ... more Bistand trots motstand : Hjalpsandningarna fran judar i Sverige till koncentrationslagerfangar i Nazityskland
This article examines the private diplomatic efforts of Olof Lamm. A Swedish Jewish ex-diplomat a... more This article examines the private diplomatic efforts of Olof Lamm. A Swedish Jewish ex-diplomat and businessman, he used his personal network to protest against Nazi persecution of the Jews in Germany, and informally lobbied the United States to increase its immigration quotas. Shedding light on these informal back-channel diplomatic networks, the author provides examples of the attitudes and obstacles Lamm faced when dealing with individuals, and reveals how those he petitioned justified their defense of Nazi ideology and actions and their own restrictive immigration policies.
To Take Us Lands Away: Essays in Honour of Margaret R. Hunt, 2022
Hendrik Willelm Van Loon (1882–1944) was a Dutch American historian, journalist, and author of ch... more Hendrik Willelm Van Loon (1882–1944) was a Dutch American historian, journalist, and author of children’s books. In his time, he was known for his bestselling books like The Story of Mankind and The Liberation of Mankind, his determined struggle against fascism and Nazism, and his larger-than-life persona. This essay presents Van Loon’s less-known connection to Sweden and his long friendship with the Swedish Jewish diplomat and businessman Olof H. Lamm (1887–1967). It supplements the biographies of Van Loon by demonstrating that his visits to Scandinavia, and his friendship with Lamm, were instrumental not only in the efforts to convince American politicians to rescue Jews in Nazi Germany, but also for his understanding of the desperate situation of European Jewry. Van Loon visited Sweden several times and Lamm and his family introduced Van Loon to Swedish history and culture. He later published a book about King Gustav I Vasa and also translated and published the songs of the Swedish eighteenth-century poet and composer Carl Michael Bellman. In the summer of 1938, during an extended visit to Europe, Lamm arranged several meetings for Van Loon, including one with the famous Swedish anti- Nazi editor Torgny Segerstedt. When Van Loon returned to the US in a state of fury at the indifference of American intellectuals to the developments in Nazi Germany, he wrote the book Our Battle: Being One Man’s Answer to ‘My Battle’ by Adolf Hitler, which earned him the respect and friendship of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Van Loon and Lamm later used this friendship with the President to petition for American intervention to rescue the Jews in Nazi Germany.
Heuman J., Rudberg P. (eds) Early Holocaust Memory in Sweden, 2020
This chapter deals with testimonies derived from legal processes and documents the creation of se... more This chapter deals with testimonies derived from legal processes and documents the creation of several bureaus for the provision of legal aid to Jewish refugees and survivors making claims against Germany, Poland and other countries between 1947 and 1950. Yet another bureau, The URO Bureau, was created in 1953 as a national branch of the international United Restitution Organisation to assist individuals who wanted to file claims for restitution in line with the German compensation laws of 1952. The files of these bureaus include both the applicants’ personal testimonies and the final accounts that were part of the applications, drafted in the more objective and detached style that is typical of legal testimonies. The author shows how claims for justice have influenced the narratives in these testimonies.
This dissertation aims to provide new knowledge about Jewish responses to the Nazi persecutions a... more This dissertation aims to provide new knowledge about Jewish responses to the Nazi persecutions and the Holocaust. This has been done through a study of the actions of the Jewish minority in Sweden ...
This book investigates the memory of the Holocaust in Sweden and concentrates on early initiative... more This book investigates the memory of the Holocaust in Sweden and concentrates on early initiatives to document and disseminate information about the genocide during the late 1940s until the early 1 ...
"We will be judged in our own time and in the future by measuring the aid that we, inhabitants of... more "We will be judged in our own time and in the future by measuring the aid that we, inhabitants of a free and fortunate country, gave to our brethren in this time of greatest disaster." This declaration, made shortly after the pogroms of November 1938 by the Jewish communities in Sweden, was truer than anyone could have forecast at the time. Pontus Rudberg focuses on this sensitive issue – Jewish responses to the Nazi persecutions and mass murder of Jews. What actions did Swedish Jews take to aid the Jews in Europe during the years 1933–45 and what determined their policies and actions?
Specific attention is given to the aid efforts of the Jewish Community of Stockholm, including the range of activities in which the community engaged and the challenges and opportunities presented by official refugee policy in Sweden.
This dissertation aims to provide new knowledge about Jewish responses to the Nazi persecutions a... more This dissertation aims to provide new knowledge about Jewish responses to the Nazi persecutions and the Holocaust. This has been done through a study of the actions of the Jewish minority in Sweden during the Nazi era. The study focuses on the Jewish Community of Stockholm (Mosaiska församlingen i Stockholm, or MFST) but also looks at other Jewish organizations as well as Jewish individuals in Sweden and their differing responses, here conceptualized as political actions (like protesting and lobbying), refugee assistance and relief. This study seeks to contextualize the response of Swedish Jews through an evaluation of their room for maneuver and incitements to act. It has identified a number of factors that, to a varying degree, enhanced or limited Swedish Jews’ ability to aid the victims of Nazi terror, including Swedish immigration legislation and refugee policy, the availability of information about the extent of Nazi atrocities, the relative effectiveness of Jewish organizations, and the financial resources available to the various Jewish relief committees. The ‘liberal imagination’ of the Jewish elite, and a system of refugee aid based on traditional philanthropy also shaped the Swedish Jewish response – and neither was adequate to the scope and enormity of Nazi violence against the Jews. Nevertheless Swedish Jews engaged in a wide range of aid efforts. They raised a large amount of money for relief aid, and supported many refugees financially. They protested against German persecution, as well as Swedish and international indifference to the plight of the Jews. Swedish Jewish representatives repeatedly tried to influence the Swedish and US governments to adopt a more generous policy towards Jewish refugees. They negotiated with Swedish officials in order to raise the immigration quotas for Jewish refugees and introduce new categories of persons who might be eligible for entry. At the time there were two major international networks of Jewish organizations, one mainly Liberal and one predominantly Zionist. This dissertation also shows that the MFST not only was influenced by both of these networks, but also that it took an active role in them. Although previously described as divided, the study shows that the Swedish Jews acted for the most part in concert and that there was broad support among them for the aid policies of the MFST.
Bistand trots motstand : Hjalpsandningarna fran judar i Sverige till koncentrationslagerfangar i ... more Bistand trots motstand : Hjalpsandningarna fran judar i Sverige till koncentrationslagerfangar i Nazityskland
This article examines the private diplomatic efforts of Olof Lamm. A Swedish Jewish ex-diplomat a... more This article examines the private diplomatic efforts of Olof Lamm. A Swedish Jewish ex-diplomat and businessman, he used his personal network to protest against Nazi persecution of the Jews in Germany, and informally lobbied the United States to increase its immigration quotas. Shedding light on these informal back-channel diplomatic networks, the author provides examples of the attitudes and obstacles Lamm faced when dealing with individuals, and reveals how those he petitioned justified their defense of Nazi ideology and actions and their own restrictive immigration policies.
To Take Us Lands Away: Essays in Honour of Margaret R. Hunt, 2022
Hendrik Willelm Van Loon (1882–1944) was a Dutch American historian, journalist, and author of ch... more Hendrik Willelm Van Loon (1882–1944) was a Dutch American historian, journalist, and author of children’s books. In his time, he was known for his bestselling books like The Story of Mankind and The Liberation of Mankind, his determined struggle against fascism and Nazism, and his larger-than-life persona. This essay presents Van Loon’s less-known connection to Sweden and his long friendship with the Swedish Jewish diplomat and businessman Olof H. Lamm (1887–1967). It supplements the biographies of Van Loon by demonstrating that his visits to Scandinavia, and his friendship with Lamm, were instrumental not only in the efforts to convince American politicians to rescue Jews in Nazi Germany, but also for his understanding of the desperate situation of European Jewry. Van Loon visited Sweden several times and Lamm and his family introduced Van Loon to Swedish history and culture. He later published a book about King Gustav I Vasa and also translated and published the songs of the Swedish eighteenth-century poet and composer Carl Michael Bellman. In the summer of 1938, during an extended visit to Europe, Lamm arranged several meetings for Van Loon, including one with the famous Swedish anti- Nazi editor Torgny Segerstedt. When Van Loon returned to the US in a state of fury at the indifference of American intellectuals to the developments in Nazi Germany, he wrote the book Our Battle: Being One Man’s Answer to ‘My Battle’ by Adolf Hitler, which earned him the respect and friendship of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Van Loon and Lamm later used this friendship with the President to petition for American intervention to rescue the Jews in Nazi Germany.
Heuman J., Rudberg P. (eds) Early Holocaust Memory in Sweden, 2020
This chapter deals with testimonies derived from legal processes and documents the creation of se... more This chapter deals with testimonies derived from legal processes and documents the creation of several bureaus for the provision of legal aid to Jewish refugees and survivors making claims against Germany, Poland and other countries between 1947 and 1950. Yet another bureau, The URO Bureau, was created in 1953 as a national branch of the international United Restitution Organisation to assist individuals who wanted to file claims for restitution in line with the German compensation laws of 1952. The files of these bureaus include both the applicants’ personal testimonies and the final accounts that were part of the applications, drafted in the more objective and detached style that is typical of legal testimonies. The author shows how claims for justice have influenced the narratives in these testimonies.
This article deals with a subject that has been sensitive in the Jewish community in Sweden since... more This article deals with a subject that has been sensitive in the Jewish community in Sweden since the time of the Holocaust, namely the widespread image of the Stockholm Jewish Community as being negative towards letting Jewish refugees find a safe haven in Sweden during the Nazi persecution and mass murder. This image has previously been explained by the alleged ineffectivity of the Stockholm Jewish Community to aid the refugees and Swedish Jewry's failure to integrate them into the community. The present article, however, shows that this image was also a result of political differences between Jewish organizations, groups, and individuals, internationally as well as in Sweden. It was also due to an exaggerated belief in, and misconception of, the influence of the Swedish Jews on the Swedish administration of refugee aid, and resulted in personal feuds in which this negative image was accentuated. Furthermore, the image of the reluctant Swedish Jews has been reproduced and used by Swedish officials to avoid taking responsibility for the country's previous restrictive policy towards Jewish refugees. These accusations have cross-fertilized with the allegations from the inter-Jewish debate, further cementing the negative image of the Stockholm Jewish Community's responses to the Holocaust and the preceding persecutions.
Aven svenska arkiv kan belysa Forintelsen : Helmut Mussener & Wolfgang Wilhelmus. Stettin, Lublin... more Aven svenska arkiv kan belysa Forintelsen : Helmut Mussener & Wolfgang Wilhelmus. Stettin, Lublin, Stockholm: Elsa Meyring – Aus dem Leben einer deutschen Nichtarierin im zwanzigsten Jahrhundert
Med anledning av det stundande hundraarsminnet av det forsta varldskrigets utbrott, har Pontus Ru... more Med anledning av det stundande hundraarsminnet av det forsta varldskrigets utbrott, har Pontus Rudberg och Martin Skoog under 2011 skisserat ett projekt som syftat till att uppmuntra museer och for ...
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Specific attention is given to the aid efforts of the Jewish Community of Stockholm, including the range of activities in which the community engaged and the challenges and opportunities presented by official refugee policy in Sweden.
Van Loon visited Sweden several times and Lamm and his family introduced Van Loon to Swedish history and culture. He later published a book about King Gustav I Vasa and also translated and published the songs of the Swedish eighteenth-century poet and composer Carl Michael Bellman.
In the summer of 1938, during an extended visit to Europe, Lamm arranged several meetings for Van Loon, including one with the famous Swedish anti- Nazi editor Torgny Segerstedt. When Van Loon returned to the US in a state of fury at the indifference of American intellectuals to the developments in Nazi Germany, he wrote the book Our Battle: Being One Man’s Answer to ‘My Battle’ by Adolf Hitler, which earned him the respect and friendship of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Van Loon and Lamm later used this friendship with the President to petition for American intervention to rescue the Jews in Nazi Germany.
Specific attention is given to the aid efforts of the Jewish Community of Stockholm, including the range of activities in which the community engaged and the challenges and opportunities presented by official refugee policy in Sweden.
Van Loon visited Sweden several times and Lamm and his family introduced Van Loon to Swedish history and culture. He later published a book about King Gustav I Vasa and also translated and published the songs of the Swedish eighteenth-century poet and composer Carl Michael Bellman.
In the summer of 1938, during an extended visit to Europe, Lamm arranged several meetings for Van Loon, including one with the famous Swedish anti- Nazi editor Torgny Segerstedt. When Van Loon returned to the US in a state of fury at the indifference of American intellectuals to the developments in Nazi Germany, he wrote the book Our Battle: Being One Man’s Answer to ‘My Battle’ by Adolf Hitler, which earned him the respect and friendship of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Van Loon and Lamm later used this friendship with the President to petition for American intervention to rescue the Jews in Nazi Germany.