History of the Jews in Finland
Encyclopedia
Finnish Jews are Jews who are citizens of Finland
. The country is home to approximately 1,500 Jews, who mostly live in Helsinki
. Jews came to Finland as traders and merchants from Europe.
soil was Jacob Weikam, later Veikkanen, in 1782, in the town of Hamina
which was at that point under Russia
n rule. During that time, most of Finland was included in the Kingdom of Sweden
. In Sweden, Jews were allowed to reside in a few towns in the, all of them outside the territory that is now modern-day Finland. In 1809 Finland became part of the Russian Empire
, as an autonomous Grand Duchy
but Swedish laws remained in force, meaning Jews were still unable to settle in Finnish territory.
Despite the legal difficulties, during the period of Finnish autonomy
(1809–1917) Russian Jews established themselves in Finland as tradesmen and craftsmen. As Jews were in principle prohibited from dwelling in Finland, almost all these Jews were retired soldiers from the Imperial Russian army
. Being cantonist
s, forced into the Russian army in childhood, they were required to serve at least 25 years. After their term expired, they had, however, the right to remain in Finland regardless of Finnish ban on Jewish settlement, a right forcefully defended by the Russian military authorities. It was only after Finland declared its independence
, in 1917, that Jews were granted full rights as Finnish citizens.
, a Soviet Union
invasion prior to Operation Barbarossa
. Finnish Jews were among those made refugees
after the Red Army conquered Karelia. Finnish national anger at the outcome of that war led to Finland's involvement in the Continuation War
(1941–1944)—while Germany launched Barbarossa, Finland resumed hostilities simultaneously. This resulted in a democratically-ruled Finland fighting alongside Nazi Germany. Because it was not a totalitarian state dominated by the Nazi party, Finnish Jews were not subject to the mass persecution and genocide of the rest of Europe. As they were never invaded by Germany, Finland's Jews did not meet the same fate as Russia's, with the genocide perpetrated by or under the cover of the occupying Wehrmacht
. The Finnish Far Right did not pursue an agenda of mass persecution of the Jews, possibly because of the influence of Lutheran leaders of the movement. Approximately 300 Finnish Jews fought in the Continuation War. As Finland's forces had substantial German Army forces in support of their operations, the Finnish front was almost certainly unique in having a field synagogue operate in the presence of Nazi troops.
Approximately five hundred Jewish refugee
s arrived in Finland, though about three hundred and fifty moved on to other countries. About 40 of the remaining Jewish refugees were sent for work service in Salla
in Lapland in March 1942. The refugees were moved to Kemijärvi
in June and eventually to Suursaari island in the Gulf of Finland. It was believed that there they would not be able to have easy contact with influential Finnish Jews .
In November 1942, eight foreign Jewish refugees were handed over to Nazi Germany
, a fact for which Finnish prime minister Paavo Lipponen
issued an official apology in 2000. No further foreign Jewish refugees were deported from Finland after protests by the Lutheran ministers, the Archbishop and The Social Democratic Party.
Also around 1942 an exchange of Soviet POWs took place between Finland and Germany. Approximately 2,600 - 2,800 Soviet prisoners of war of various nationalities then held by Finland were exchanged for 2100 Soviet POWs of Finnic
nationalities (Finnish, Karelian, Ingrian, or Estonian) held by Germany, who might have volunteered in the Finnish army. About 2000 of the POW handed over by Finland joined the Wehrmacht
. Among the rest there were about 500 people (mainly Soviet political officers) who were considered politically dangerous in Finland. This latter group most likely perished in concentration camps or were executed
. Based on the a list of names, there were 47 Jews among the extradited, though they were not extradited based on religion.
Yad Vashem
records that 22 Jews of Finland died in the Shoah, although all of them died fighting in the Finnish army.
28 Finnish Jews, mostly Finnish Army veterans, fought in Israel's War of Independence.
, and about 50 in Tampere
. The Jews are well integrated into Finnish society and are represented in nearly all sectors. Most of the Finnish Jews are corporate employees or self-employed professionals.
Most Finnish Jews speak Swedish
or Finnish
as their mother tongue. Yiddish, German
, Russian
and Hebrew are also spoken in the community. The Jews, just like Finland's other traditional minorities, as well as immigrant groups, are represented on the Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations (ETNO).
There are two synagogues: one in Helsinki
and one in Turku
as well as a Chabad Lubavitch rabbi based in Helsinki.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The country is home to approximately 1,500 Jews, who mostly live in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. Jews came to Finland as traders and merchants from Europe.
History
The first Jew said to have settled on FinnishFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
soil was Jacob Weikam, later Veikkanen, in 1782, in the town of Hamina
Hamina
Hamina is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Kymenlaakso region. The town has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is...
which was at that point under Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n rule. During that time, most of Finland was included in the Kingdom of Sweden
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
. In Sweden, Jews were allowed to reside in a few towns in the, all of them outside the territory that is now modern-day Finland. In 1809 Finland became part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, as an autonomous Grand Duchy
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
but Swedish laws remained in force, meaning Jews were still unable to settle in Finnish territory.
Despite the legal difficulties, during the period of Finnish autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
(1809–1917) Russian Jews established themselves in Finland as tradesmen and craftsmen. As Jews were in principle prohibited from dwelling in Finland, almost all these Jews were retired soldiers from the Imperial Russian army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
. Being cantonist
Cantonist
Cantonists were underage sons of Russian conscripts who from 1721 were educated in special "canton schools" for future military service .-Cantonist schools during the 18th and early 19th centuries:Cantonist...
s, forced into the Russian army in childhood, they were required to serve at least 25 years. After their term expired, they had, however, the right to remain in Finland regardless of Finnish ban on Jewish settlement, a right forcefully defended by the Russian military authorities. It was only after Finland declared its independence
Finland's declaration of independence
The Finnish declaration of independence was adopted by the Parliament of Finland on 6 December 1917. It declared Finland an independent and sovereign nation state rather than an autonomous Russian Grand duchy.-Revolution in Russia:...
, in 1917, that Jews were granted full rights as Finnish citizens.
World War II
Finland's involvement in World War II began during the Winter WarWinter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
, a Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
invasion prior to Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
. Finnish Jews were among those made refugees
Evacuation of Finnish Karelia
As a result of the 1940 Moscow Peace Treaty that concluded the Winter War, Finland ceded the area of Finnish Karelia and other territories to the Soviet Union...
after the Red Army conquered Karelia. Finnish national anger at the outcome of that war led to Finland's involvement in the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
(1941–1944)—while Germany launched Barbarossa, Finland resumed hostilities simultaneously. This resulted in a democratically-ruled Finland fighting alongside Nazi Germany. Because it was not a totalitarian state dominated by the Nazi party, Finnish Jews were not subject to the mass persecution and genocide of the rest of Europe. As they were never invaded by Germany, Finland's Jews did not meet the same fate as Russia's, with the genocide perpetrated by or under the cover of the occupying Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. The Finnish Far Right did not pursue an agenda of mass persecution of the Jews, possibly because of the influence of Lutheran leaders of the movement. Approximately 300 Finnish Jews fought in the Continuation War. As Finland's forces had substantial German Army forces in support of their operations, the Finnish front was almost certainly unique in having a field synagogue operate in the presence of Nazi troops.
Approximately five hundred Jewish refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s arrived in Finland, though about three hundred and fifty moved on to other countries. About 40 of the remaining Jewish refugees were sent for work service in Salla
Salla
Salla is a municipality of Finland, located in Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
in Lapland in March 1942. The refugees were moved to Kemijärvi
Kemijärvi
Kemijärvi is a municipality of Finland and the northern-most town in Finland. It is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
in June and eventually to Suursaari island in the Gulf of Finland. It was believed that there they would not be able to have easy contact with influential Finnish Jews .
In November 1942, eight foreign Jewish refugees were handed over to Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, a fact for which Finnish prime minister Paavo Lipponen
Paavo Lipponen
Paavo Tapio Lipponen is a Finnish politician and former reporter. He was Prime Minister of Finland from 1995 to 2003, and Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland from 1993 to 2005...
issued an official apology in 2000. No further foreign Jewish refugees were deported from Finland after protests by the Lutheran ministers, the Archbishop and The Social Democratic Party.
Also around 1942 an exchange of Soviet POWs took place between Finland and Germany. Approximately 2,600 - 2,800 Soviet prisoners of war of various nationalities then held by Finland were exchanged for 2100 Soviet POWs of Finnic
Finnic peoples
The Finnic or Fennic peoples were historic ethnic groups who spoke various languages traditionally classified as Finno-Permic...
nationalities (Finnish, Karelian, Ingrian, or Estonian) held by Germany, who might have volunteered in the Finnish army. About 2000 of the POW handed over by Finland joined the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. Among the rest there were about 500 people (mainly Soviet political officers) who were considered politically dangerous in Finland. This latter group most likely perished in concentration camps or were executed
Commissar Order
The Commissar Order was a written order given by Adolf Hitler on 6 June 1941, prior to Operation Barbarossa. Its official name was Guidelines for the Treatment of Political Commissars...
. Based on the a list of names, there were 47 Jews among the extradited, though they were not extradited based on religion.
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
records that 22 Jews of Finland died in the Shoah, although all of them died fighting in the Finnish army.
28 Finnish Jews, mostly Finnish Army veterans, fought in Israel's War of Independence.
Today
The number of Jews in Finland in 2010 is approximately 1,500, of whom 1200 live in Helsinki, about 200 in TurkuTurku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, and about 50 in Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
. The Jews are well integrated into Finnish society and are represented in nearly all sectors. Most of the Finnish Jews are corporate employees or self-employed professionals.
Most Finnish Jews speak Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
or Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
as their mother tongue. Yiddish, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and Hebrew are also spoken in the community. The Jews, just like Finland's other traditional minorities, as well as immigrant groups, are represented on the Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations (ETNO).
There are two synagogues: one in Helsinki
Helsinki Synagogue
Helsinki Synagogue in the city of Helsinki is one of the two synagogues in Finland. Located in the Kamppi district, the synagogue is used by the 1,200-strong Jewish community of Helsinki. The synagogue building, designed by the Viipuri-born architect Jac...
and one in Turku
Turku Synagogue
Turku Synagogue in the city of Turku is one of the two synagogues in Finland. Located in the VII District, the synagogue is used by the Jewish community of Turku. The synagogue building, designed by architects August Krook and J.E. Hindersson, was completed in 1912....
as well as a Chabad Lubavitch rabbi based in Helsinki.
Further reading
- Cohen, William B. and Jörgen Svensson (1995). Finland and the Holocaust. Holocaust and Genocide StudiesHolocaust and Genocide StudiesHolocaust and Genocide Studies is an international peer-reviewed academic journal addressing the issue of the Holocaust and other genocides. It has been published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum since 1987 with varying frequency . The journal's...
9(1):70-93. - Rautkallio, Hannu (1988). Finland and the Holocaust. The Rescue of Finland's Jews. N.Y.:Holocaust Publications. ISBN 0896041212.
- Cohen, William B. & Jürgen Svensson (2001). Finland. In Walter Laqueur, ed., The Holocaust Encyclopedia. New Haven, CT: Yale University PressYale University PressYale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
. P. 204-206. ISBN 0300084323.