Estonia Today the Jewish Community in Estonia
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Fact Sheet June 2009 Estonia Today The Jewish Community in Estonia A SHORT HISTORICAL OVERVIEW individuals — whether they were the representatives of a foreign power or Estonian citizens — who committed There are, in historical archives, records of individual Jews crimes against humanity and carried out mass repressions being in Estonia as early as the 14th century. But the on Estonian territory. The Estonian Government continues permanent Jewish settlement of Estonia did not begin until to do everything possible to expose these crimes. “It is the 19th century, when they were granted the right to enter most regrettable that in collaboration with the occupation the region by a statute of Russian Tsar Alexander II in authorities, some Estonian citizens participated in such 1865. Jews with higher education, or who were skilled crimes committed against humanity. There is no artisans or successful merchants, were allowed to settle in justification for the participation of anyone in these Estonia and other parts of the Russian Empire. Jewish shameful and morally condemnable acts. It is not cultural associations were established, as were, of course, important what motivated these people to act in this way. Jewish congregations and houses of worship. The largest Even if they have not directly shed the blood of anyone, synagogues were built in Tallinn in 1883 and Tartu in they are nevertheless morally responsible,” said Estonian 1901. Both of these were eventually destroyed in World Prime Minister Andrus Ansip on 26 January 2006, War II during the Soviet bombing raids of March 1944. In International Holocaust Memorial Day. 1913, there were 5 000 Jews living in Estonia, of whom 2 000 lived in Tartu and 1 100 in Tallinn. On the Yad Vashem avenue of trees in Jerusalem, planted in honour of non-Jews who risked their lives to help Jews At least 200 Estonian Jews fought in the War of during the Holocaust, beside the names of Oskar Independence (1918–1920) to help establish the Republic Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg there is also the Estonian of Estonia. The creation of the Republic of Estonia in 1918 writer and academic Uku Masing’s name, as well as a tree marked the beginning of a new era in the life of the Jews. planted in his honour, for having saved a Jewish student From the very first days of her existence as a state, during World War II. Estonia showed her tolerance towards all the peoples inhabiting her territories. In 1925, the Act of Cultural During the second Soviet occupation (1944–1991), many Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities was enacted in Estonia, Jews migrated to Estonia to escape the anti-Semitism giving minority groups consisting of at least 3 000 prevalent in many parts of the USSR. Jews, for instance, individuals the right of self-determination in cultural often had difficulties gaining admittance to institutions of matters. Financial support was provided by the state. higher learning, especially in bigger cities. If young Jews Thus, in 1926, Jewish cultural autonomy was declared. were unable to find chances for furthering their education For its tolerant policy towards Jews, a page was dedicated or for obtaining suitable employment in their home towns, to the Republic of Estonia in the Golden Book of they did not encounter such problems in Estonia. By 1960, Jerusalem in 1927. Once Estonian independence had 5 500 Jews were living in Estonia, about 80 percent of been achieved, the number of Jewish organisations them in Tallinn. There was, however, no rebirth of Jewish increased remarkably. The Jewish elementary school in cultural life, because of the Communist Party’s hostile Tallinn was founded during the War of Independence in policies towards Jews. From 1940 until 1988 the Estonian 1919. The Jewish secondary school in Tallinn was Jewish community, as elsewhere in the Soviet Union, had founded in 1924. In the 1930s, there were over 4 300 no organisations, associations nor even clubs. Jews living in Estonia (0.4 percent of the population). There were three Jewish schools, and about 100 Jews JEWISH COMMUNITY IN ESTONIA were studying at the University of Tartu. In 1939, there were 32 different Jewish organisations active in Estonia. At the end of the Soviet era the situation changed. In March 1988, the Jewish Cultural Society was established With the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940, Jewish in Tallinn. After the restoration of Estonia’s independence cultural autonomy, in addition to the activities of Jewish in 1991, the Jewish Cultural Society was reorganised and organisations, was terminated. The teaching of Hebrew the Jewish Community was established in 1992. The and Yiddish, as well as lectures on Judaism and Jewish Tallinn Jewish School was re-opened in 1990, being the culture, were banned. All Jewish schools were closed. 414 first school for a national minority to be established in the Estonian Jews (10 percent of the Jewish community) were restored Republic of Estonia. This is an official municipal deported to Siberia in the course of the mass deportations school that functions on the basis of the national school of June 1941. curriculum and is oriented towards the integration of its students into Estonia’s unified multi-cultural society. In During the German occupation (1941–1944), the Nazis 2000, a synagogue was opened in the same building. murdered approximately 1 000 Jews who had failed to flee Estonia (most went to the Soviet Union). During WW II, Currently, the Jewish Community in Estonia consists of Estonia was the only German occupied country where the about 2 000 people. Most of them reside in Tallinn, but Nazis were unable to provoke Jewish pogroms — there is significant Jewish communities are located in Tartu, not a single known case of Estonians killing a Jew on their own. In addition to the aforementioned Estonian Jews that Narva and Kohtla-Järve as well. The Jewish people have were murdered by the Nazis, many Jews were transported integrated successfully into Estonian society. Their to Nazi concentration camps in Estonia from other parts of umbrella organisation, the Jewish Community in Estonia, Europe. Unfortunately, some Estonians collaborating with has declared that in Estonia there is no official anti- the Nazis participated in the crimes committed against the Semitism, and that for Jews, Estonia is a safe country, and Jewish people. Estonia condemns the activities of all Fact Sheet June 2009 is one of the few nations in the world where the Jewish part of the Estonian school curriculum, dealt with in community does not require additional security measures. connection with the events of World War II. The subject is taught in grades five and nine, and in detail in the 12th Since 2004, the annual Jewish cultural festival “Ariel” has grade modern history course. Thanks to good co-operation been held in Estonia. The festival events, dedicated to with Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ various aspects of Jewish culture, include book Remembrance Authority in Israel, it has been possible to presentations, lectures, art shows, film screenings, radio show the film "Outcast" on Holocaust Day in Estonian programmes, and concerts. secondary schools since 2005. In January 2007, there was a presentation in Tallinn’s Museum of Occupations of methodically prepared Holocaust teaching materials that had been produced in co-operation with Sweden’s Living History Forum and the Task Force for International Co- operation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Reserach. The packet includes either Estonian- or Russian-language printed material as well as a CD-ROM and DVD containing illustrative material. All Estonian Governments have condemned the Holocaust. Several Holocaust sites, for example in Klooga, Vaivara and Kiviõli, have been officially designated and commemorated. New synagogue in Tallinn. Photos: Ministry of Foreign Affairs On 16 May 2007 a new synagogue was opened in Tallinn. It was the first synagogue to open in Estonia since World War II. The synagogue accommodates 200 people and also functions as a cultural centre. It is located next to the Jewish School and the Community Centre. Holocaust site in Klooga During his official visit to Poland in January 2005, the president of Estonia, Arnold Rüütel, participated in the commemoration ceremony dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp and lit a candle in memory of the victims of the death camp. In March 2005, the Estonian minister of education and Official opening of the new synagogue in Tallinn: (from left) Chief research, Toivo Maimets, participated in the opening of a Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel new Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem, where he Shimon Peres, President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves and officially handed over the personal belongings of people Vice President of the World Jewish Congress Alexander who had perished at Klooga concentration camp that had Bronstein (16 May 2007). until then been exhibits of the Estonian History Museum. Jewish literature has been translated into Estonian from In 1998, the president of Estonia, Lennart Meri, convened both Hebrew and Yiddish, with one of the leading the International Commission for the Investigation of translators being the Estonian theologian Prof. Kalle Crimes against Humanity, consisting of Uffe Ellemann- Kasemaa, who has an honorary doctorate from the Jensen, Paul Goble, Nicholas Lane, Peter Reddaway, University of Haifa. “The Hebrew Poetry Anthology” in Arseny Roginsky, and Baron Wolfgang von Stetten, and Estonian won an award for translator Kristiina Ross. chaired by the internationally respected retired Finnish diplomat Max Jacobson. The Commission’s mandate was Internationally, the best known Estonian Jewish academic to investigate the crimes against humanity that were is Juri Lotman (1922–1993), the renowned professor of committed on the territory of the Republic of Estonia semiotics at the University of Tartu.