The Stockholm Jewish community has been given half a million krona — around £52,000 — by the Swedish government to promote sexual equality.

The National Board for Youth Affairs, awarded the money to fund a project encouraging Orthodox women to be more involved in religious life.

The project, called Matan, was set up by Meitav Shimmel, an Israeli mother of four who is the current emissary at Bnei Akiva in Stockholm. Activities such as a women-only Megillah-reading on Purim, a women-only Torah-reading on Simchat Torah and an all-women minyan have been organised under the Matan banner.

Marina Burstein, a leader of the Stockholm Jewish community, said: “Initially, there was great resistance from within the Orthodox group, and one of the two Orthodox synagogues in Stockholm still does not participate, though they are beginning to realise that what is happening is very exciting.”