TALLINN (EJP)—Estonian President Kersroi Kaljulaid was among dignitaries attending an event in Tallinn marking the 10th anniversary of the first Jewish community centre built in the country since the Holocaust.
Other personalities included the Speaker of the Estonian parliament Eiki Nestor, the Vice-President of the European Commission Andrus Ansip, Israeli Minister of Social Equality Gila Gamliel, Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Lau, Israel’s Ambassador to Estonia Dov Segev-Steinberg, the Chief Rabbi of Estonia Shmuel Kot and the Director of the European Jewish Association Rabbi Menachem Margolin.
Jewish businessman and philanthropist Alexander Bronstein dedicated the community centre in memory of his mother Bella.
Addressing the attendees, President Kaljulaid said that ‘’the Tallinn synagogue tells the story of the fate of its Jewish community.’’
He continued: ‘’Estonia is proud of the fact that our country today has a flourishing and vibrant Jewish life. The history of the local community, like the history of our country itself, is one of tragedy and revival—from the Holocaust years which tell of tragedy and trials of occupation, to the flourishing recent years of a free, democratic and independent Estonia. Today the synagogue is a beautiful and clear symbol of freedom.”
I recalled the 178 Jewish women and men who participated in the Estonian War of Independence. ‘’Both our nations know what it means to maintain our identity and freedom even under the threat of foreign powers, and we can be proud of our achievements,” the president said.
Seventy-five years ago, at the Wannsee Conference, Estonia was the first country to be declared Judenfrei (free of Jews). All synagogues in Estonia were razed during WWII, leaving no trace of Jewish life in the country.
After the war, the Communist regime strictly forbade the returning survivors to rebuild a Jewish community, and until a mere decade ago Estonia was the only country in Europe without a synagogue.
Ten years ago, on the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, a synagogue and Jewish community centre finally opened in Tallinn. Former Israeli president Shimon Peres, who was then a government minister, represented the Israeli government at the landmark event.
Throughout the past decade, Jewish activity and life in Tallinn have flourished under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Shmuel Kot.
Many Jews who were cut off from their Jewish heritage have returned to identify themselves as Jews and express that they now feel Jewish.
This year, Estonia and Israel mark 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.