“I think it’s important Malmo’s Jews take an active part in all of the city’s major events, our backs straight and proud of our identity,” “I had some concerns, yes, but not enough to keep me away,” Posner, 66, said about the June 10 event. It didn’t help that the event fell on one of the hottest days of the year and at the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month when Muslims fast daily between sunrise and sunset. That’s why Barbara Posner, one of Malmo’s approximately 1,000 Jews, was slightly apprehensive when she joined the Jewish contingent at the city’s gay pride parade earlier this month. It is also notorious for its high rate of anti-Semitism, including harassment of Jewish leaders, attacks on synagogues and Jewish cemeteries, and anti-Semitic chants at protests. Its crime rate - among the highest in Scandinavia - and a large Muslim community make Malmo a flashpoint rife with interethnic and religious tensions. MALMO, Sweden ( JTA) - This city is not the best place to fly rainbow flags emblazoned with a Star of David.
