Jewish Converts in Stockholm before Emancipation

The lecture discusses motives and circumstances that led Jews to convert to Christianity in Stockholm from the end of the 17th century, when the first known baptisms of Jews in Sweden took place, to 1870, when they were politically emancipated. The study is based on quantitative analysis, using the records of the Stockholm Jewish congregation and local parish records of the Lutheran Church. It shows conversion patterns in birth cohorts, baptismal ages, and fluctuation over time. For the latter part of the period, patterns of inter-confessional marriages and the religious affiliation of children are examined.