Erkü Teataja Eanc Newsletter
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120416 2/26/13 12:58 PM Page 1 Did You Know? Kas Teate? EANC NEWSLETTER ESTONIAN AMERICAN NATIONAL COUNCIL, INC. • EANC now has a Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/ 1420 Locust St., Suite 31N ERKÜ TEATAJA EstonianAmerican. Come “like” us! Philadelphia, PA 19102 March 2013 •Tallinn University’s Academic Library has a digital database of Estonians abroad containing brief biographical data IN THIS ISSUE summaries of noted Estonians living (or having lived) outside of Estonia. To browse the alphabetical listing, use this link: • 2012 – EANC’s Milestone Year http://isik.tlulib.ee/index.php?m=browse. Check to see if • Can You Be Estonian Without Estonian? 2012 - EANC’s Milestone Year there is an entry for yourself, your friends and relatives. Send • Did You Know? any corrections and additions to [email protected]. • Upcoming Events 2012 - ERKÜ tähisaasta UPCOMING EVENTS • TULEVASED ÜRITUSED • 2012 - ERKÜ tähisaasta • Kas saab olla eestlane eestikeeleta? he past year marked a major äinud aasta oli ERKÜ-l • Kas Teate? milestone for EANC, as we cele- märkimisväärne. Pühitsesime brated our 60th anniversary and oma 60. a. juubelit ja aktiivselt • Tulevased Üritused T L ESTO 2013 Festival / Lääneranniku Eesti Päevad: June 28 – July 1, 2013 in San Francisco actively supported Estonian-American toetasime Ameerika eestlaste sihte aims on both the political and cultural nii politiilisel kui ka kultuurilisel alal. The Estonian League of the West Coast and the Northern Californian Estonian community invite you and your fronts. Here are highlights of EANC’s Heidame pilgu mõningatele ERKÜ family to this summer’s ESTO festival in San Francisco. Tickets are on sale now at www.lep-esto2013.com. 2012 accomplishments: saavutustele: Eesti Organisatsioonide Liit Läänerannikul ja Põhja-California eestlased kutsuvad Sind sel suvel koos pere ja sõpradega ESTO festivalile San Franciscos. Pileti ostmiseks külasta www.lep-esto2013.com. • Our 60th anniversary gala • ERKÜ 60. juubeli pidulik gala celebration was a great success, with Juhan Simonson accepting läks igati korda. Kohal oli üle 200 Joint Baltic American Council (JBANC) conference. over 200 guests. The president of “Outstanding Contributions to EANC külalise ja peakõnelejaks oli Eesti Friday/Saturday April 19-20, at the Crystal City Marriott (VA), in conjunction with an April 18 Advocacy Day on Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, was the Award” from Marju Rink-Abel Vabariigi president Toomas Hendrik Capitol Hill. More details soon at www.jbanc.org! keynote speaker. Ilves. • We instituted a new awards • Alustasime uut ERKÜ auhinna Milestone Year, continued from page 4 program to honor the accomplish- programmi tunnustamaks am- ments of Estonian Americans. The five eerika eestlaste teeneid. Viis auhinna events. • Võtsime samme sidemete tugevdamiseks ameerika EANC NEWSLETTER - March 2013 eestlastega: recipients for 2012 were past EANC saajat olid endised ERKÜ esimehed •EANC took steps to strengthen our communica- presidents Juhan Simonson and Mati Juhan Simonson ja Mati Kõiva, Eesti tions with Estonian Americans. - Koostasime broshüüri ERKÜ ajaloost ja ERKÜ TEATAJA - Märts 2013 Kõiva, Estonian Archives in the U.S., Arhiiv Ühendriikides, filantroop Olga - We developed a printed brochure about the tegevusest. philanthropist Olga Ritso Kistler, and Ritso Kistler, ningSuursaadik Melissa EANC’s history and activities. Ambassador Melissa Wells. Wells. - Andsime välja uue, kvartalis ilmuva ringkirja, ERKÜ - A new quarterly bulletin, EANC Newsletter, was Teataja, ja saatsime selle üle 4400 Ameerika eest- • As part of our mission to preserve Ambassador Marina Kaljurand and • Andsime toetusi mis ületasid mailed to over 4,400 Estonian-Americans. lasele. and foster our Estonian heritage, EANC EANC President Marju Rink-Abel veerand miljonit dollarit: at the Victims of Communism gave out grants totaling over a - skautidele ja gaididele ning - We regularly provided information about our - Avaldasime informatsiooni meie tegevuse kohta Memorial in Washington DC quarter million dollars to: Long Islandi Laste Suvekodule - activities to the Free Estonian Word . Vaba Eesti Sõnas. - Estonian American scouts, girl lisaks ERKÜ tavapärastele - Our website, www.estosite.org, was completely - Täielikult uuendasime ERKÜ kodulehekülge, guides, and the Long Island toetustele andsime osa gala sisse- revamped and is now continually updated with www.estosite.org, ja pidevalt lisame Children’s Summer Camp, who tulekust. news, articles and resources of interest to Estonian informatsiooni uudistest, artiklitest ja ressursidest, received our regular annual support Americans and others. mis pakuksid huvi Ameerika eestlastele ja teistele. plus a portion of our gala income. - ajaleht Vaba Eesti Sõna projektidele. • Lõpuks, meie tugevdasime ERKÜ EANC Gala keynote speaker H.E. • Finally, we strengthened our internal operations by - the Free Estonian Word newspaper’s sisemist tegevust, palgates tegevjuhi Toomas Henrik Ilves, President of hiring Linda Rink as Executive Director to manage our EANC Board member Ilmar Vanderer projects. - Ühendatud Baltic Ameerika fundraising, communications, and other marketing Linda Rinki, kes korraldab korjandust, EANC board members and presents checks to Leena Kangro the Republic of Estonia Komiteele (JBANC), mis esindab and administrative activities. sidet, turustamist ja administratiivset friends at Arvo Pärt Project and Tina Fischgrund for - the Joint Baltic American National täisajaliselt meie huvisid tegevust. reception, New York Estonian Estonian American scouts Committee (JBANC), which repre- EANC members at annual meeting, Washingtonis. House, December 2012 and girl guides. sents our interests in Washington on September 2012 Marju Rink-Abel, a full-time basis. EANC’s President Milestone Year, continued on page 4 Milestone Year, continued on page 4 5 1 120416 2/26/13 12:58 PM Page 2 According to U.S. Census data for the year 2000, “Do you need Estonian to be Estonian?” global Estonians is crucial. Beyond Language goes a long way, but it language but not bound to it. It’s up that, however, Estonian-American isn’t the only way to see into a to Estonians abroad to show both Language Fluency is Essential 25,000 Americans self-identify as of Estonian origin In other words, do you need to maintain the language What are Estonian-speaking Russians? society includes activities culture. Being part of a small interest on their own part and an or descent. Unfortunately, only a fraction of these to carry the culture? Or is there more to Estonian “…I think we assume that someone who identi- meaningful in their own right, not community has its own rewards, alternative view of the Estonian “…Estonia has been independent for more are active in organized Estonian life. How can we heritage than just knowing the language? Virve fies himself as 'Estonian' can also speak the lan- simply as a stand-in for an out-of- and it’s never too late to discover community, tied together through than 20 years, and the first generation of reach those who are not? What does it mean to be an Vihman, a transplanted Estonian-American now at the guage… For global Estonians,…the reach, “original” culture. My father how this might play a part in your a vital and complex set of Russian-Estonians born, raised, Estonian American? University of Tartu offers her views, buttressed by question is more complex. Fluency moved back to Estonia at the end own life. Estonians may not have connected activities, not all of and schooled in Estonia are In this issue, we pose an ongoing challenging question: commentaries from four Estonian Americans. in the language can no longer be as- of his life, only to discover that he been used to people speaking with them linguistic. graduating from school, going was no longer at home there. Only an American accent in 1996, when sumed. Nevertheless, all hyphen- I don’t know where my old to university, and entering the then did he realize that not only his my colleague confronted me with ated Estonians should be What are your thoughts on this? Send us your comments in the enclosed envelope or go to colleague is now, but I could tell him workforce. Though there are kids, but he himself had truly his questions, but people like Mark encouraged to take pride in the our website www.estosite.org. We will publish selected comments in future newsletters. that my language has improved, exceptions, most of these become Estonian-American. Kostabi, a US artist who knew of his Estonian part of their heritage and that the culture I found behind young people are able to use Estonian roots but didn’t speak a whether or not they are fluent in Can you be Estonian without Estonian? it was complex – coming to Estonia, the Estonian language, but still are not Culture exists in our minds, in our word, were making a splash. the language… In my opinion fluency in the lan- Virve Vihman I found a deeper sense of what 100% Estonian nor should anyone expect relationships, and in opposition to Toomas Hendrik Ilves was raised in guage is essential for identifying oneself as both my identities mean to me, and had been living known; about the early post-Soviet Why such vastly different what we see ourselves as not being. the USA, but has now been elected them to be. It is possible to be an Estonian participating in two cultures, I’ve 'Estonian' without the hyphenated addendum. in Tartu, Estonia, economy and its effects on people responses? When your identity feels To understand ourselves, we need Estonian president for a second language user and not be