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Curriculum Guide - Volume 9
• 9.1: Boombamela Spring Festival
• 9.2: Environmental Studies - Arabs & Jews
• 9.3: Unique Jewish Community in Finland
© 2012 Israel Up Close. All rights reserved.
Boombamela Spring Festival: Volume 9.1
Boombamela, a New Age festival billed as a celebration of
"love and peace", draws a diverse and multigenerational
mix of people. Fifty thousand Israelis as well as curious
tourists from all over the world showed up at the four-day
happening. The organizers say that it is not just the music
that attracts the crowds, it is more the lifestyle that is offered.
They know there is something uplifting and exciting around
every corner. Running time: 4:49 minutes.
Rationale
This lesson introduces participants to Boombamela, the largest New Age festival in
Israel, where people of diverse interests, backgrounds and national origins come
together in the spirit of celebration.
Objectives
The participant will
• Learn about Boombamela, primarily from the participants’ diverse points of view
• Become acquainted with the interest many Israelis have in so-called ‘alternative’
lifestyle festivals and discuss why this is so.
Materials/Handouts
• Music Video: http://youtu.be/g9-iJC1r7y8 - The Prophet’s Dance (Sheva)
• Boombamela & Other Israeli Alternative Festivals
• Bar Mitzvah at Boombamela (Israel Channel 7 Podcast Transcript)
Preparing the class to view the story
A reporter for Israeli Channel 7 once noted that “when the Temple stood in Jerusalem,
Jews would ascend three times a year. Today, Israelis gather at wild music festivals
three times a year…” What are these ‘wild festivals’? Are they truly wild? Perhaps a
little. But they are more often described in words like free spirit, hippie, tribal, rainbow,
new age, alternative or Shanti (from the Sanskrit word for tranquility). The largest of
them is Boombamela (pronounced Boom-bah-MEH-lah). Let’s take a look.
View the DVD
Discussion/Activity (with sample answers in italics):
What did we learn about this festival – its growth, its population, its atmosphere?
• Has grown from 2,000 people to over 50,000
• More families attending – it is becoming more “mainstream” – everyone from
teenyboppers to new age searchers to fervent religious believers
• It attracts visitors from Europe and other places around the world – not just
among the performers but among the attendees
• The atmosphere is more free than in Europe
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What were some of the cultural influences from outside of Israel that we experienced in
this story?
• The dragon parade with drumming – Asian/Far Eastern influence
• References to Ayurveda and Hare Krishna – Indian influence
• Bedouin-style clothing – Arabic influence
• Didgeridoo (the long flute-like horn that rests on the ground)- Australian influence
What are some of the aspects of Boombamela that make it uniquely Israeli?
• Held over the Passover holiday – which, like this festival, is also about freedom
• Culmination ceremony -- carrying a Torah, the blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn)
• Rabbis of all kinds – very orthodox as well as more “hip”
• The founder is a former Israeli Air Force pilot – (from bombers to Boombamela)
• Incorporates the vibe of festivals in Europe and India but is infused with Jewish
spirituality, and also represents other spiritual paths
• The location is just a few miles north of a conflict zone (Gaza Strip)
• It is an escape from the tension of everyday life
• It developed in spite of the violence and reflects the “spirit of the new Israeli”
Let’s have a discussion about the meaning of these festivals: are they an escape from
the tension of everyday life? Or do they represent a change in the “spirit of the new
Israeli”?
The tension of everyday life in Israel may be described in these terms or others:
• the ongoing threat from Iran
• uncertainty brought about by the “Arab spring” and changing leadership in
Israel’s close neighbors
• internal conflict in Israel’s close neighbors (such as Syria)
• economic issues within Israel – protest movements akin to Occupy Wall Street
The spirit of the “new Israeli” may be defined in these terms or others:
• Israel’s rapid growth over 60+ years from an agricultural economy to a
technology-driven economy
• Israel as a top competitor in the global marketplace, Israelis more global in
outlook than Israelis of generations past
• Israelis of today – 20+ years after the peace process began in earnest – being
more used to contact with and cooperation with Arabs in Israel and in the
Palestinian Authority – more cooperation on all fronts
• Post-army trip abroad that gives today’s Israeli exposure to many other cultures;
not experienced by earlier generations who were building the country
Let’s imagine we are at Boombamela as we experience a video clip of a group that
has performed at these festivals. This is “The Prophet’s Dance” by the group Sheva.
[Play YouTube http://youtu.be/g9-iJC1r7y8]
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What did we see and hear in this music video?
• Mix of cultural influences – Jewish and others (Bedouin, tribal, Arabic, Sufi)
• Many Jewish symbols
• Hebrew texts
• Performers dressed in clothing as they might have worn in Biblical times
• Repetitive musical motifs – a ‘dance – trance’ groove
This music video is a great example of how the alternative Israeli music festivals
showcase a blend of cultures – from Bedouin Arabs to Jewish texts from the Torah and
Talmud and Kabbalah, to whirling dervishes of the Sufi tradition. And it is also an
example of combining the ancient (the texts, the mode of dress) with the most
contemporary of influences, trance music. In the latter part of the song, a verse
repeats over and over in a kind of ‘trance’ groove; in translation it means “through
prayer, the prophet lives in the soul.” This mantra is expressed in Hebrew, by Israeli
musicians, using texts from Jewish tradition, yet it can resonate with people of other
religious traditions. It is an example of how we are more alike than we are different, no
matter what our cultural or spiritual pathway.
Closing
In the story, it was noted that with relocation of Jewish former settlers in the Gaza Strip
on the horizon, the future of the festival in this location was uncertain. Indeed, in 2011,
the Boombamela Festival was moved to Eilat, on the Red Sea. As festival founder
Ronnie Tabachnik said, if moving the festival to allow for resettlement would help bring
peace to the region, this was a price he was willing to pay. While all is not yet quiet on
the Gaza front, Israelis remain hopeful that peace is within reach. Meanwhile, as they
diligently safeguard the country’s security, Israelis continue to gather – to sing, to
dance, to celebrate life.
Optional Curriculum Enhancement
Consider utilizing this lesson in combination with other Israel Up Close videos and
curriculum guides, as part of a series. Here are some suggestions:
• A series on music, dance and visual arts: use this story plus Volume 26.3 (Vertigo
Dance Company and their life in an eco-village), and 16.3 – Ein Hod (a unique
artists’ village)
• A series on different forms of musical expression: use this story plus Volume 10.1
(Jacob’s Ladder, an American-style folk and bluegrass festival); Volume 11.1 (the
musical legacy of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach); and/or Volume 23.3 (Advocating
for Israel through Music).
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Boombamela & Other Israeli ‘Alternative’ Festivals
Giving Peace a Chance
“When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, Jews would ascend three times a year. Today, Israelis gather at
wild music festivals three times a year…” -- Ezra Halevi, Channel 7 Israel National News (2006)
What are these music and lifestyle festivals, which have been variously described as wild, free spirit,
hippie, tribal, rainbow, Shanti (from the Sanskrit word for tranquility), new age or alternative? How did
they come about? What were the influences?
The festivals grew, almost organically, out of the peace and coexistence movement that has
attracted numerous Israelis in their 20s and 30s since the early 1990s (a hopeful time when peace truly
seemed to be on the horizon; despite developments since then, the movement still thrives). Many of
these young Israelis traveled to far-flung lands as part of their post-Army ‘rite of passage’ backpacking
trip, returning home to Israel brimming with new cultural influences, seeking new forms of expression,
and envisioning new opportunities for gathering to ‘give peace a chance’ in the midst of conflict.
There is no single organizer or promoter behind these festivals –
varying groups of Israelis have been involved – and while the
festivals embrace the music, art, clothing, food, healing
practices and other lifestyle models from India and the
Himalayas, South America, Australia, and other lands, they are
uniquely Israeli in character.
The festivals are experiences
where young Israelis have found authentic Jewish spirituality,
warmth, and tradition, as well as kosher food, Kabbalah and
Torah study, prayer groups (minyanim) and abundant Jewish
symbols and imagery -- the only places where one is likely to find,
as noted by Israel Channel 7, “dreadlock peyess (sidecurls) and
tie-dyed tzitzit (fringes of prayer shawls). Indeed, the first three festivals were aligned with the three
Jewish pilgrimage festivals:
o
Boombamela, during Pesach (Passover) – founded in 1999
o
Shantipi, during Shavuot (Pentecost) – founded in 1995; and
o
Beresheet, during Sukkot – founded in 1997.
Today, there are similar alternative festivals in Israel each year, which include activities beyond those
of a music-only festival. In keeping with the organic nature of these events, some are held year after
year, and new ones have arisen as a result of the latest trends in new age, alternative spirituality and
philosophy. These include the Sagol, Adama, Badulina and Sufi festivals. Some past festivals have
‘gone mainstream’ with corporate sponsorship, which is a disappointment to observers of the genre.
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Boombamela
Since 1999, Boombamela (boom-bah-MEH-lah) has been "a place for
meeting, experiencing, crossing borders and transcending social limitations
through music, creation, and connection with nature," as described by its
organizers.
It is a three-day festival held annually during Chol HaMoed
Pesach (the intermediate days of the holiday during which travel and other
activities are permitted for observant Jews) and its name is inspired by a
Hindu pilgrimage in India called Kumbh Mela.
Over the years, the festival has risen in popularity and is now perhaps the
largest and best-known of Israel's alternative festivals, attracting many visitors from other countries.
The nature-oriented, freewheeling, playful atmosphere gives it a sense of the surreal and an unworldly
distinction. In any given year, some 40,000 people have participated in Boombamela.
For twelve years, the festival was located on the sandy beach
of Hof Nitzanim, between Ashdod and Ashkelon along the
southern Mediterranean coast, about as far from anything as
anything can be in crowded Israel.
The festival became so popular that it spawned a network of
organized bus services from all over Israel to Tel Aviv, with
connection to Hof Nitzanim, especially for this festival. In 2011,
Boombamela relocated to the Northern Lagoon Beach in Eilat
(renamed “Peace Lagoon” for the occasion).
Recycling booth at Boombamela Festival
The festival grounds are divided into villages such as a holistic
village, a prayer village, a green revolution village (including a
recycling center), a spiritual village (where one can rest in a tent and listen to teachings of Indian
gurus) and hundreds of exhibits, tents and activities are devoted to such subjects as ecology,
coaching, activism, yoga, arts, crafts, belly-dancing and street theater. Jewish prayer services are
held at Ohel Ahava V'Tefilla (Tent of Love and Prayer) and at the Chabad Tent.
In 2006, as reported by Israeli Channel 7, “the Chabad tent is not officially sanctioned by the Chabad
organization. Said a representative, "This kind of festival is too open, to use soft words. Too wild. But
we are here because people are searching. There's lots of confusion. We are connecting people back
to their roots, reminding them about where they are coming from, where their ancestors came from.
It's not just stories. It's real and it's alive."
It’s also a place where unity between religions
and cultures is celebrated, as seen in the
image at left from the 2011 Boombamela
peace ceremony, led by Ibrahim Abu el Hawa
and Eliyahu McLean, who urged participants
to become “soldiers of peace and love.”
Throughout the Boombamela site are many
chai (tea) houses where one can hang out,
socialize and relax amidst the colorful pillows
and divan-style sofas. Restaurants on site offer organic, vegan and ethnic cuisine; Kosher for Passover
food (containing no leavening, yeast, or grains like wheat, barley, etc.) is also available, and there’s
even a supermarket to serve the festival-goers.
Ibrahim Abu el Hawa and Eliyahu McLean
5
Boombamela features bands on several sound stages, through
the day and well into night; and trance dance floors with live
DJs, in full swing around the clock.
Walking through
Boombamela, one can hear every style of music, from trance
music to hip-hop to reggae to rock to Indian ragas.
The entrance price, inclusive of facilities, concerts and
camping sites, is modest by Western standards; the 2011
Boombamela ticket price was 205 Israeli Shekels for the entire 3
days – approximately $54, or $18 per day. Ninety percent of
participants come for the full three days.
Shantipi
Its name means “tranquil tent” in Sanskrit, and while tranquility has been the
core of Shantipi (shahn-TEE-pee), in the form of meditation, healing and yoga
workshops, the tent became lively and loud during performances by top-class
world music entertainers. Shantipi traditionally took place during the spring
holiday of Shavuot, and grew from a grassroots event (before the festival even
had a name) with a few hundred people to a relatively modest event (3,000
people at a rural site north of Hadera) to a three-day festival that, in 2003,
attracted 10,000-15,000 people at a site near the Sea of Galilee, with thousands
more reluctantly turned away due to site
capacity restrictions
Yair Izulin, who helped to devise the first Shantipi gathering,
said the popularity of Shantipi represented a desire by young
Israelis to depart from mainstream culture, and from the
political and religious establishment. “We offer the public
something else. It's like a new culture," he said, noting that
"Israelis who have spent time traveling abroad and got a taste
of life in the outside world realized there is another way to live that you don't have to constantly live with wars and with a
fight for survival. That's what it's all about." The last Shantipi
Festival took place in 2007.
Yoga tent at festival
Beresheet
The Beresheet (beh-reh-SHEET) Festival was originally held over the course of the Rosh Hashanah
(Jewish New Year) holiday. The organizers found that Israelis were hesitant to attend, due to the
strong tradition of family gatherings on the New Year. It was then moved to Sukkot, the festival of
booths, where the hundreds of tents and huts erected by participants are reminiscent of those built as
part of the holiday by Jews around the world.
Tens of thousands of young people, along with entire families,
camp out for three days on the east bank of Lake Kinneret (the
Sea of Galilee). Many of the booths and exhibits showcase
eastern religions and flower-bedecked gurus, and the largest
(and for many years the only) air-conditioned tent at the
festival has been run by Jews for Jesus, offering free non-kosher
food and baptisms.
Several years into the festival’s history, Jews from Moshav Mevo
Modiin – the village founded by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, the
“Singing Rabbi” – saw a need to strengthen the traditional
Jewish presence at such festivals. Rabbi Carlebach himself had attended similar events during his
lifetime, conducting the sort of “guerrilla outreach” at which he excelled, though he was criticized,
often sharply, by mainstream Orthodox Jewish rabbis and organizations.
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Today, Beresheet is alive with Jewish spirituality.
Volunteers arrive days in advance to build a giant sukkah
out of branches, palm fronds, pillows, mats and
decorations. Young men don kippot (yarmulkes) and lay
tefillin between concerts. Young women shake the Four
Species of Sukkot. Kosher food, prepared by volunteers,
is offered free of charge to all guests in the sukkah.
Further, the Jewish presence at this and other alternative
festivals is no longer frowned upon by the Orthodox
establishment. The United States-based Orthodox Union
(OU) has determined that this type of outreach is not only
necessary but worthy of funding.
Rabbi Meir Schwartz of the OU explains the essence of
Jewish teaching thus: "A sincere smile does more than
you can imagine. We always operated toward the mind,
but realized that we really needed to convey the
emotional side of Judaism as well," he said, in an
interview with Israeli National Television Channel 7, as a
girl with dreadlocks shook the Four Species ecstatically.
He explained to a young man standing nearby that the
Sukkot holiday's Four Species - a palm branch, myrtle,
willow and citron - represent the different kinds of Jews.
"All the various Jews must be brought together and
shaken to bring blessing to our people from Heaven," he
said, describing in detail how each of the species is similar
to an archetype within the Jewish people. "Realizing that
emotion is important, the taste of Judaism that is offered
must be a deep one," Rabbi Schwartz says. "Shaking the
Four Species is one thing, but giving someone a taste of
the mystical reasons behind it is what is truly bringing
Ashkenazim, Sephardim, religious, secular, left and right
together.”
Other Festivals
Sagol, a more laid-back new age festival, was established with a focus
on love and meditation. Sagol is the Hebrew word for purple, which is
the ‘spiritual color’ signifying the metaphysical world. First held in 1993,
the Sagol Festival is now part of a bigger endeavor: the Sagol EcoVillage, which trains participants in sustainable building practices with
mud, organic gardening, and daily meditation. The festival wandered
for years between its original location in the Negev Desert to northern
locations near Zikhron Yaakov, the Jordan Valley, and Nahariya. Today,
the Sagol Eco-Village and Festival are at Moshav Sde Zvi, near Tel Aviv.
Sagol Eco-Village
The Adama festival is a three-day event focused on dance, movement
and music, with spiritual and family activities. It is a part of Nir Ben Gal
Dance Company, a collective experimental dance center in Mitzpe
Ramon in the Negev Desert. Festival participants also learn about the
communal art of the Company, who not only create dance but also assist
in the upkeep of the center, from construction work to painting and
gardening.
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Ashram Bamidbar (Desert Ashram) is home to several new age festivals
created in recent years. The Ashram, founded by Israelis who include former
city-dwellers as well as pioneers of date farming in the Arava desert, is a
community dedicated to awareness, harmony, honest humanity,
cooperation, mutual support and environmentally friendly practices.
The longest-running festival at the Ashram is the Zorba
Festival which began in 2001. It is not a Greek festival
as the name might suggest, but a Buddhist-influenced
festival during the Passover holiday that, according to organizers, combines
“beautiful people with the best of spiritual work, both local and international, as
well as the best musicians and surprises.”
The Badulina Festival, first held in 2012, is inspired by the book of the same
name by Israeli author Gabi Nitzan, which became an immediate best-seller
upon publication in 1999. In the form of a fable about a meeting between
the author and the “36th King of Badulina,” the book (an image from which is
seen at right) carries a message of what it means in the fictional land of
Badulina to live as a king or queen, and not a victim. The book has spawned
“embassies” in countries around the world, and this festival, which is all about
letting one’s inner light shine.
The first Sufi Festival was held at the Ashram in May of 2012. This festival is
dedicated to music, dance, devotion, freedom and inspiration and was
created, according to its organizers, to “shed light on the essence of the Sufi
path, traversing ideas beyond the constructs of religion…a space of
gathering, friendship, sharing and expression beyond time,” in which all
participants – artists, teachers and audience – are “inspired by the desert and
the internal workings of the soul.”
Evolution and Renewal
In a June 2011 article in the Israeli news daily Haaretz, writer Tomer Ganihar chronicled changes in
Israeli society since the early 1990s. Ganihar had his own spiritual awakening in 1991 after attending a
party in the Galilee that was “an unprecedented combination of primal landscape, Hasidic energy,
meditative music and above all a desire to make something happen that was new and enchanted,
yet at the same time wonderfully ancient.” The diplomatic process with the Palestinians had just
begun, the cable TV infrastructure was being created and MTV had arrived to Israel. The new age
movement became a social phenomenon, with a decidedly Jewish focus: “books on Jewish topics
proliferated…secular yeshivas and study houses sprang up like mushrooms… innumerable workshops
for spiritual self-improvement were held at any given moment.” The first Shantipi in 1995 was “like
Woodstock, only with much better music…a huge gathering of religious and secular people.”
He flashes forward to 2010, at a Tel Aviv beach party sponsored by a cell phone conglomerate, and
laments the corporate atmosphere, the lack of diversity amongst the participants, the fact that clubs
once open to all were now surrounded by fortified walls with hostile bouncers at the gate. He wonders
if today’s festival is a place where everyone is “reporting to everyone about the moment” but not
experiencing it. Yet he closes his article on a somewhat hopeful note, asking “where do we go from
here? The answer, my friends, depends on you.”
Evolution happens in all societies, Israel included. The years since the global economic crisis of 2008
have been difficult for Israel. And yes, some festivals have “gone mainstream” with corporate
sponsors setting the tone. But the emergence of new festivals like Sufi and Badulina and the
continuation of Boombamela are strong evidence of a renaissance in Israel for festivals of the spirit.
Sources: Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel National News (Channel 7), Wikipedia, Eilat-Holiday.com, Israeltraveler.org,
joobili.com and all festival websites.
8
When Guy Arnon and his wife Galia started producing the Boombamela festival, he didn't expect it to result in a
bar mitzvah, especially not his own. The husband and wife team have been coming to Nitzanim beach for the
past seven years for one of Israeli's best known and longest running beach festivals. This year it attracted about
15,000 - 20,000 people, mostly secular Israeli teenagers and twenty-somethings for three days of music,
swimming and a new age vibe over Chol HaMoed Passover. But Galia and Guy aren't the only husband and
wife team on the beach.
A ten minute walk from the staff area is a large tented area with a brightly colored sign that reads Kfar Tefillah,
or Prayer Village. Among the main organizers are Rabbi Nir Yaakov Mas and his wife Ita, hailing from the small
Samaria hilltop community of Dolev.
Like Galia and Guy, they have also been coming to Boombamela for seven years, but as volunteers. Together
with a seemingly random group of volunteers from Moshav Mevo Modi’in, [the Shlomo Carlebach Moshav],
Breslov Chasidim, Rabbi Kook aficionados and whomever else comes to volunteer, Kfar Tefillah makes sure that
kosher-for-Passover food is readily available.
As rock music waifs in from a nearby concert stage, Guy, in charge of all advertising and publicity tells the story
of his bar mitzvah on the beach at age 33. "I come from a family that doesn't love religion. They asked me if I
wanted a bar mitzvah and I said no. I didn't want to learn anything. They did a bar mitzvah for me here with the
Sefer Torah and candy and everything."
His wife Galia, manager of the festival says it was long-time Kfar Tefillah organizer Michael Golomb who
organized Guy's bar mitzvah. "When Michael heard he did not have a bar mitzvah he was shocked. Afterward,
he told my husband, now that you are a man, you will have a son. Two months later I became pregnant. Now
we have a five and a half year old son," says Galia with a smile.
A long-time resident of the Carlebach Moshav, Michael Golomb seems to know all the festival organizers and
greets as many people, both friends and strangers, with a warm "chag sameach." Dressed in a large colorful
kippah and long robe, Golomb looks, in the words of one Boombamela participant "Biblical."
"However you dress or whatever you eat, you're still a Yid," says Golomb, with his ever-present smile. He
shares his philosophy on Jewish outreach. "You have to share a little light. If I have a tomato and I give it to you,
then you have it and I don't. But if I have a candle, I can light your candle and I still have mine. We have to light
all the little candles. If someone is in a hospital and you yell at them, they'll never get better. Laughing and joy
has a lot more healing power than yelling. You may not be dressed [as I am], but you can have a little taste of
redemption. We were asked to be the chosen nation to light up the world and smile and give strength and say,
yes, we will make it."
The festival organizers see no contradiction between the throbbing trance music with thousands of dancing
secular youth and inviting Michael and his band of rabbis and musicians. In fact, they advertise the Kfar Tefillah
area on their web site along with times for morning, afternoon and evening prayer as well as the Shabbat Torah
service. "We want to give the people more than just a vacation," says Galia, "but also have a spiritual option,
so they can come and get advice. If they have problems, the doors are always open."
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Guy has a similar view. "We are very aggressive in our need to accept everyone. You have to be violent or just
not nice to deal with for you not to find a place in Boombamela. Every year they seem to want to cancel us
because of something. Last year, because Chabad is here, the left-wingers wanted to close us down. Two
years before, religious groups wanted to close us. But the courts say as long as it's not violent or racist it's OK.
We are a platform. We just make the space and invite the people. All the rest is finding the weirdest and nicest
and best things in the culture of Israel. We decide if you come by the brightness of your eyes."
Rabbi Nir Yaakov Mas is dressed in his usual all white clothing with big white kippah, long black and gray beard
and long peyess. He performs multiple duties at the festival, including leading a Thursday Chol HaMoed Torah
service, a Friday night Shabbat service. Crowds of youth in their sandals and beach-wear crowd around him.
He stands on a chair, towering over the crowd and leads the crowd in a powerful prayer service. During downtime he chats with whoever comes about whatever problems they may have. After the festival is over he
personally helps clean up.
"I saw how Jews are thirsty." Rabbi Mas talks about the other tents at the festival featuring yoga, meditation and
a plethora of new age options, called "shanti" in Israeli slang. "I thought I could show them their home, and
show them how deep Judaism is. Because I know they are really looking for the G-d of Judaism. I really think
here at Boombamela we are creating a deep Jew. When I see someone going to another tent, I think he was a
really holy soul and I am happy because I know he will eventually find himself. The prayers are coming from the
heart. I've never seen a synagogue with such prayers."
Like the others at Kfar Tefillah he believes the clothes, or lack-there-of, don't make someone a bad Jew. "Here
you have to learn to have eyes that don't look at the outside. It's just a costume. When you start talking to them
you see what holy souls they really are. Maybe they have tattoos, but they also have good intentions. When we
have the Torah service and someone wants to kiss the Torah, I never say, no." As the young men approach the
prayer service, Rabbi Mas gives them a kippah and a prayer book. Chabad also has a presence at
Boombamela. "People think they are coming to the Boombamela but actually they are coming to the Beit
Chabad." Tzofit, a wife and mother from Jerusalem is dressed in a traditional head -covering and long dark skirt.
It is her third year joining the Torah-observant Israelis who brave the secular party-goers for the sake of
outreach.
The Beit Chabad to which she refers in this case consists of a large tented area. Behind canvas walls, men in
black hats and their wives cook soup and stack boxes of matzah which they pass out to anyone that comes
regardless of dress. "On the outside, people look like they don't have any connection to Torah or mitzvot," says
Tzofit, "but Chassidut teaches that every Jew has a spark of G-d inside of him and if you light it up, it will
become bigger and bigger and more revealed."
"They did not grow up in a religious family and here they have an opportunity to come and find holiness," says
the Chabadnik. As the youth eat, a rabbi chats with them about the Torah parsha of the week. Tzofit relates a
Boombamela story. "About a week ago, a girl called me and said she wants to volunteer in Beit Chabad. She
came a few years ago and became a baal teshuvah and now wants to help. She started here. When they
come here, you see their faces start shining." She concludes, "you don't need to be a Chabad shaliach to bring
the redemption closer. Every Jew has the power."
Not everyone at the festival is Israeli. Tourists and visitors come as well. A group of Jewish young adults from
Uruguay also attended. At Kfar Tefillah, one can find people from Beit El, Maon and other places in Judea and
Samaria, as well as a young man formerly of Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip, not too far away from where the
festival takes place.
A smattering of non-Jews attends as well. One in particular is well known to Boombamela. Matias comes from
Switzerland and is responsible for all decorations, signs, flags and layout. He has been to every single
Boombamela since it began twelve years ago. "Only love brought me here to Israel, love for this land." he says.
"It talks to me very strongly." Secular and liberal, Matias nevertheless, like the rest of the festival organizers holds
the Kfar Tefillah and Beit Chabad in high esteem. "Michael is the angel of the festival," he says, referring to
Michael Golomb. "In all the production meetings he speaks and gathers energy. He talks straight to the people.
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He just has to be himself." Matias personally planned the layout of the festival. Three weeks before the festival
began, there was nothing but sand. "Now it is like a city," he says, referring to the sea of tents participants sleep
in, the booths selling jewelry and CDs and the seven concert stages.
One of Matias innovative features is the wishing tree. Paper and peaces of cloth are set next to the tree.
People are encouraged to write their prayer or wish and tie it to the tree for all to read. Boombamela's seven
music stages ranging from trance, reggae, Middle Eastern and rock. Most musicians are secular. A couple of
religious-oriented acts perform as well such as Shivat Tzion, a young reggae band from Tzfat and Lazer Lloyd of
Yood, a Chabadnik from Beit Shemesh that plays hard rock and blues.
The Kfar Tefillah people have a mini show of their own, which takes place right before Shabbat begins. This year
it featured Fishy HaGadol, a secular rapper who recently became interested in religion after a trip to Uman,
Ukraine to visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Whereas his first album was about partying, the latest is
chock full of Breslov and Chasidic references. Both CDs are dancehall reggae and hip-hop in style.
As the music plays all night, back at Kfar Tefilah, volunteers cut vegetables for the thousands expected for
Shabbat dinner. Na’ama, a student from Dolev, is responsible for the kitchen. "The matzah is donated. 5,000 will
eat Friday night. 2,000 for Saturday lunch," she says standing by the portable hot plates and boxes of donated
tomatoes and cucumbers. So why does Na'ama, a religious young woman come to Boombamela? "The real
Israelis, the youth are here. I feel responsible to be here to cook so they can eat kosher food."
Avraham stands out from the teenagers he sits next to with his slightly graying beard. Born in America and living
in Jerusalem, he talks about the origins of the festival twelve years ago as a true new age gathering into a more
mainstream event. "When Israelis get out of the army they are looking for something to fulfilling and so they go
to India. They have these huge festivals and they brought the idea back with them. Mela means village."
Avraham continues to talk about why he's been coming back for the past nine years. "Shlomo Carlebach
taught us go where there are the most Jews. Don't judge them. It's like being on the front line. This is Eretz Yisrael,
the land of our people."
"We have a sign in front stating that each person is invited to ask one question about Judaism. We get
amazing questions, sometimes life and death situations. We need to realize, we're not going anywhere
without all of our people. We can stay separate and holy amongst ourselves [religious people], but eventually
it's about all of our people as a whole."
Ben Bresky is a music critic and recording engineer living in Jerusalem. He is the host of the Israel Beat Jewish Music Podcast
on Arutz 7 - Israel National Radio.
11
Environmental Studies – Arabs and Jews: Volume 9.2
Researchers from all over the world, including Jordan and
the Palestinian Authority, have joined their Israeli colleagues
for a program at The Arava Institute of Environmental Studies
near Eilat. Besides courses on conservation, which include
ecology and sustainable development, the student body is
also learning about coexistence. Running time: 3:17 minutes.
Rationale
This lesson gives participants an opportunity to see cooperation and coexistence in
action, through an Israeli program focused on sustainable development of the fragile
ecosystems in the Middle East.
Objectives
The participant will
• Gain an understanding of environmental issues in the Middle East
• Learn how a shared focus on a common challenge can help to advance the
peace process
• Understand how Israel is helping to build environmental leadership not only for its
own future, but for the future of its neighbors
Materials/Handouts
• Handout: About the Arava Institute
• Handout: The Arava
• For the discussion/activity, students will need access (through laptops, tablets or
mobile devices) to the Internet for research
• Map of Israel with Arava region (specifically, area around Kibbutz Ketura)
highlighted (using Post-it note, pushpin or other marker)
Preparing the class to view the story
With most of today’s news headlines focused on conflict around the world, particularly
in the Middle East, one might wonder if there is hope for cooperation, partnership and
peace. There is, and it is evident in a unique Israeli institute promoting regional
cooperation on environmental issues – issues that are of vital concern for the future of
the Middle East and our planet. Let’s take a look.
View the DVD
Discussion/Activity (with sample answers in italics):
What was the first thing we learned in this story? This group of international students has
come to the Arava Institute to study what?
• Ecology
• Sustainable development
1
What is sustainable development? What does it mean? Let’s take a few minutes to
research this term online. (Allow five to seven minutes for research). Okay – what did
we find? What is sustainable development?
• development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs
• development that meets the needs of the present while contributing to the
future generations’ needs
• our present generations' responsibility to improve future generations' life by
restoring previous ecosystem damage and resisting the tendency to contribute
to further ecosystem damage
Is sustainable development only about the environment?
• No – it also applies to economic sustainability and social (or socio-political)
sustainability
• The UN Declaration on Cultural Diversity adds cultural diversity as the “fourth
pillar” of sustainable development
What does this tell us?
• We need to work together – as diverse people and nations – to solve
environmental issues
• Cooperation can help sustain our economic and social structures
• Israel is making strides in all of these areas through the Arava Institute
Indeed, Israel is making great strides in environmental, economic, social and cultural
sustainability, through the Arava Institute. How did we see this manifest in the story?
What are some examples?
• Economic/Environmental: the Institute provides students with the skills and tools
to become professional environmentalists in their own countries
• Economic/Social: Participants hope to reach positions of influence in their
respective countries
• Social/Cultural: by bringing together students of diverse backgrounds, the
Institute is breaking down old barriers and attitudes
o example: Jordanian student who faced people telling her that “Israel is
the enemy”
o example: Jewish student who was open-minded but had never lived with,
or had personal connections, with Palestinians or Israeli Arabs or
Jordanians
• Social/Cultural: students live and work together for a long period of time, visit
each other’s homes and countries – time for real development and change
• With a common interest in the environment, the cooperation moves forward and
transcends simple talk about ‘peace’
[Distribute handouts.] Let’s take a few minutes to peruse the handouts, and then we’ll
reconvene to discuss why the Arava Institute is so important in the search for
environmental solutions. [Allow 10 minutes for read-through of the two handouts.]
2
Let’s identify our “Top Ten” reasons the Arava Institute is vital to the future of the region:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Promotes collaboration and cooperation – in its student body and in transboundary and international research projects.
The Institute is training future leaders for the region.
It is based in an ‘intentional community’ – a community that exists solely
because its inhabitants made a conscious choice to live there, in a remote
desert far from population centers, to devote themselves to environmental
studies.
It is dealing with all aspects of the environment – water resources, air quality,
energy, science, economic policy, social concerns, science, law.
Over 400 graduates carrying the message forward in Israel, Jordan, the
Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Tunisia and all across Europe and the USA.
75% of its graduates are working in the environmental field.
The Institute offers continuity for students who wish to pursue advanced
degrees at Ben-Gurion University (and, in the future, at Al-Quds University).
Alumni network supports graduates with contacts and project seed money –
further promoting cooperation and collaboration.
The countries of the Middle East and many of the Mediterranean countries
(Greece, Turkey, et al) all face environmental challenges. Air quality knows
no borders. Water scarcity affects all. Solutions benefit everyone.
With its location in the driest, hottest part of Israel, solutions developed in this
most challenging environment can be adapted to other (less extreme)
climates for the benefit of all humankind.
Closing
Air quality, water resources, the health of the soil in which we grow crops, climate
change, and other aspects of our global ecosystem are of concern the world over.
Clearly, we must cooperate and collaborate in the search for solutions to these
significant challenges. The Arava Institute has taken a leading role in environmental
research and in regional cooperation that can lead to a peaceful future for all. The
Institute’s programs also yield benefits beyond the environmental arena, in areas such
as medicine, law and economic policy. Just one more example of how Israel takes
seriously the value of tikkun olam, repairing the world.
Optional Curriculum Enhancement
Consider utilizing this lesson in combination with other Israel Up Close videos and
curriculum guides, as part of a series. Here are some suggestions:
• A series on the environment: combine this story with Volume 10.2 (Desalination);
Volume 17.1 (Combating Global Warming); Volume 24.2 (Cutting Air Pollution);
Volume 26.2 (Retrieving Water from Air); Volume 31.3 (Generating Electricity from
Traffic); and/or Volume 32.1 (Showcasing Environmental Technology).
• A series on Arab-Jewish partnership and shared citizenship: combine this story
with Volume 12.3 (Arab-Jewish Bilingual School); Volume 16.1 (Martial Arts for
Peace); Volume 27.1 (Ultimate Peace); Volume 28.1 (Israel Aids Abandoned
Arab Mothers); and/or Volume 28.3 (New Arab Health Clinic).
• A two-part series on the Arava Institute: combine this story with Volume 11.3 (The
2,000-year-old Judean Date)
3
About the Arava Institute
The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is an accredited
academic program for undergraduate and graduate studies
located at Kibbutz Ketura on the Israeli side of the Arava
Valley.
The Arava Institute is home to cutting-edge research in a
number of interrelated fields of environmental concern from a
trans-boundary context. Gathering leading regional and international experts who collaborate with its
scientists, the Arava Institute is the premier institution for multidisciplinary environmental research in the
region. The Institute seeks to train future leaders of the Middle East in environmental issues so that they
will be able to cooperate in solving regional environmental problems.
Location: Why Here?
The Arava Valley is a sparsely populated desert valley that
connects the Dead Sea region with the Red Sea, and is part of
the Great Rift Valley. Between the Dead Sea and the cities of
Eilat and Aqaba, the Arava forms the border between Israel
and Jordan. For more on the Arava Valley, see the page that
follows this handout.
The Institute’s home base, Kibbutz Ketura, was founded in 1973
by members of Young Judea, in a location just a few hundred
meters from the border between Israel and Jordan. Kibbutz
Ketura is one of a small number of intentional communities in
Israel, and that makes it an ideal setting for a culturally diverse
program. Members of the Kibbutz are both religious and nonreligious Jews who have chosen to live together in the same
community and maintain an egalitarian synagogue. The
kibbutz is also a member of Israel's Green Kibbutzim movement,
which seeks to promote environmentally friendly and
sustainable practices. A portion of the kibbutz's agricultural
produce is organic.
Students
Students at the Arava Institute live on Kibbutz Ketura while taking classes in sustainable development,
water management, environmental law, economic policy, environmental science and other
environmental studies topics. Classes are taught in English. Members of the faculty are often guest
lecturers from universities in Israel and abroad, or professionals in fields such as public policy and water
management.
Students come from around the world to study and conduct research at the Arava Institute. Since the
Institute’s establishment in 1996, it has hosted over 400 graduate and undergraduate students of
various nationalities, including Israeli Jewish, Israeli Arab, Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Tunisian,
European and American students.
The Arava Institute has been able to maintain a diverse student body even during very difficult times
elsewhere in Israel and the Middle East.
Students can participate in semester and year-long programs accredited through Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev, as well as two Master’s degree graduate programs granted by Ben-Gurion
4
University – one in Environmental Desert Studies and the other a
“Green” MBA that teaches environmental sustainability and efficiency
as well as business management skills.
A three-week summer course is sometimes offered for the study of
biodiversity and environmental challenges in the Arava Valley. The
Arava Institute is considering the establishment of a joint Master’s
program with Al-Quds University, the only Arab institution of higher
learning in Jerusalem. All students are required to participate in a
Peace-Building and Environmental Leadership Seminar, which
provides them with a facilitated forum for expressing their views on
race, religion, identity, and the political situation.
Arava Institute students on a field trip
Alumni
Over 75% of Arava Institute graduates now work in the environmental field. The Institute has created
an alumni network to continue supporting graduates by providing personal and professional contacts
as well as seed money for alumni projects that demonstrate cross-cultural cooperation. Several alumni
of the institute have gone on to work in cross-cultural projects.
• Hashem Shahin, a Muslim Palestinian alumnus, is part
of a joint Israeli-Palestinian project to discover the
genetic basis of deafness.
• Tamar Keinan, a Jewish Israeli alumna, joined a
Jordanian alumnus to create the "Good Neighbors
Water Project" for Friends of the Earth Middle East.
• Laithi Gnaim, an Israeli Arab alumnus, established a
non-governmental organization called "Arrasid"
(Bearing Witness) which trains Arab farmers in the Beit
Netufa Valley in sustainable farming techniques. He has used connections made at the Arava
Institute to offer training in sustainable practices and in building Arab-Jewish partnerships in the
agricultural sector.
The Arava Institute has recently added a new network to bridge connections between alumni. Called
APEN or the Arava Peace and Environmental Network, APEN brings together alumni from all years of
study during an annual conference (most recently held in Aqaba, Jordan), as well as an online listserv,
a blog, and more.
Research
The Research Department is divided into self-supporting projects that are headed by a faculty
member with teams of research fellows providing critical support in a number of areas. Most research
projects also support research of graduate students enrolled at the Institute. Generally interdisciplinary
in nature, research projects integrate natural and social sciences to examine a range of
environmental issues. The current projects of the Research Department are:
• Center for Sustainable Agriculture: a key player in the field of desert agriculture
and sustainable agriculture. One major achievement: during excavations of
Masada in the mid 1960's, ancient date seeds were discovered beneath rubble.
In 2005, several seeds were obtained by researchers, in collaboration with Dr.
Elaine Solowey and the Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Radiocarbon dating
indicated they were at least 2,000 years old. Three seeds were planted and one
sprouted. This plant is now affectionately referred to as "Methuselah," a biblical reference to the
oldest person who ever lived. The tree is doing well, and has a permanent home in Dr. Solowey's
garden on Kibbutz Ketura. It is hoped that the tree bears fruit in the coming years.
5
• Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation: a leader of research, development and
technology on renewable energy and energy conservation.
• Environmental Policy and Research Center, which has established trans-boundary projects with the
Palestinian Authority, Jordan, and Morocco in the areas of Bio-Diversity, Air Quality, Stream
Restoration, Sustainable Agriculture in Arid Lands, and Sustainable Futures for the Dead Sea Basin.
• Center for Transboundary Water Management: a center for regional water resource management
research.
• Arava Center for Sustainable Development: a partnership to disseminate expertise on sustainable
development.
• Dead Sea and Arava Science Center: a center for the study of the unique environment of the Dead
Sea-Arava Rift Valley.
Learn More: www.arava.org
Source: Wikipedia, www.arava.org
6
The Arava
The Arava (Hebrew for "desolate
and dry area"; called the Araba in
Arabic) is a section of the Great Rift
Valley running north-south
between the southern end of the
Sea of Galilee (as the Jordan River
Valley) down to the Dead Sea and
continuing further south, where it
ends at the Red Sea.
It includes most of the border
between Israel and Jordan. Many
modern geographers no longer
acknowledge the northern section,
between the Dead Sea and the
Sea of Galilee, to be part of the
Arava, but in antiquity up to the
early 20th century this full expanse
of Rift Valley was all considered
part of the Arava.
The hottest, driest southern stretch
of the Arava is 166 km (103 mi) in
length from the Red Sea to the
southern shore of the Dead Sea. It
is home to 22 Israeli localities –
kibbutzim and moshavim, as well
as the southernmost city, Eilat, on
the Red Sea. The oldest kibbutz in the Arava is Yotvata, founded in 1957, and named for an ancient
town in the area mentioned once in the Bible.
In biblical times, the area was a center of copper production; King Solomon apparently had mines
here. East of the Arava, in what is now Jordan, was the domain of the Nabateans, the builders of the
city of Petra. The Israel–Jordan Peace Treaty was signed in the Arava on October 26, 1994.
The Arava is very scenic; there are colorful cliffs and sharp-topped mountains (marked in pink on the
map above). Israel's Timna Valley Park is notable for its prehistoric rocks and carvings (below left),
some of the oldest copper mines in the world (center), and a series of cliffs known as King Solomon's
Pillars (right). There are numerous species of flora and fauna in the Arava Valley.
7
Unique Jewish Community in Finland: Volume 9.3
The Jews of Finland are so few that most Finns regard them
as a curiosity rather than a minority. At present the Jewish
community of Helsinki is thriving, bolstered by immigrants
from the former Soviet Union and Israel. Despite a 95% rate
of intermarriage, synagogue attendance and the
enrollment in the Jewish school has increased. Running
time: 3:00 minutes.
Rationale
This lesson gives participants a glimpse of a multicultural Jewish community in a place
where one might not expect to encounter Jewish life: Helsinki, Finland.
Objectives
The participant will
• Learn about the history of the Jews of Finland
• Understand how the influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union and
(through intermarriage) Israel has helped to bolster the community
Materials/Handouts
• Map of Northern Jewish Communities
• The Jews of Finland – Past & Present
• Need: wireless Internet access and devices (laptops, tablets, mobile) for activity
• “Prizes” (small, modest giveaways) for map activity and Shabbat question
Preparing the class to view the story
What time does Shabbat start if it never gets dark? This is a question we might never
think to ask, unless we were living in or visiting a Jewish community in the ‘land of the
midnight sun.’ The most northern reaches of the globe don’t immediately come to
mind when we think about thriving centers of Jewish life, yet there are some nine
different communities that have, at one time or another, laid claim to being the
‘northernmost Jewish community in the world.’ Today, we visit one of them – Helsinki,
Finland.
View the DVD
Discussion/Activity (with sample answers in italics):
What did you find most interesting about the Jewish community of Finland?
• 95% intermarriage rate
• Non-Jewish spouses usually convert or identify with Judaism
• Most children of intermarried families attend kindergarten at the Jewish school
• Orthodox Judaism is prevalent stream
• Multicultural – 9 languages spoken at the Jewish school
• Virtually no anti-Semitism
• Population growth: immigration from former Soviet Union; Israelis who marry Finns
• Helsinki synagogue is 100 years old
1
[Distribute handouts; divide the class into small groups of 3-4 participants.] We’re going
to have a little fun in the land of the midnight sun. On the Google maps, you’ll see the
northernmost Jewish communities on the planet tagged. Using the Internet, identify
each of these communities and its approximate Jewish population. The first group to
accurately identify the communities by name and population size wins a prize. Then
we’ll come back and talk about the unique challenges facing Helsinki and other
remote, northern Jewish communities.
[Allow 20” for this activity. The correct answers are below.]
Google
Tag
Jewish Community
A
Fairbanks, Alaska
Jewish
Population
600
FYI Notes
Latitude 64.49 - northernmost
B
Reykjavik, Iceland
40
Latitude 64.09
C
130
Latitude 63.26
D
Trondheim, Norway
Yakutsk, Yakutia
(Siberia)
1000
Latitude 62.01
E
Tampere, Finland
50
Latitude 61.48
F
Syktvykar, Komi (Russia)
1500
Latitude 61.43 - 2nd most populous above 60th parallel
G
Anchorage, Alaska
5000
Latitude 61.11 - largest population above 60th parallel
H
Turku, Finland
I
Helsinki, Finland
180
1245
Latitude 60.31
Latitude 60.10 - 3rd most populous above 60th parallel
Let’s talk about what it takes to build and maintain Jewish life in such remote locations,
far from major centers of Jewish life. What are some of the challenges?
• Assimilation as a result of intermarriage
• Aging community members
• Cost of maintaining Jewish institutions (schools, synagogues, cemeteries) falls
upon fewer shoulders; some (like Tampere) cannot afford to maintain
• In all but Anchorage, Alaska – small population means people need to invest
more of themselves in being a community.
• Weather is a factor – extreme winter cold means people can’t get together as
often during a significant part of the year
And what does the Helsinki experience tell us about the glue that holds together a
community, no matter how small, no matter how remote? What’s most important?
• Education – from early childhood
• Tradition – maintaining Jewish practices (Shabbat, holidays, etc.)
• Inclusiveness – ensuring non-Jewish family members feel connected
2
Closing
Before we finish today, we have time for one more prize giveaway! Who can answer
the question I posed at the beginning: when does Shabbat start, if it never gets dark?
Hint: there are two possible correct answers. The first participant(s) to provide either will
win a prize. You’ve got five minutes to research online. Go!
[As hands go up, take note of participants in order hands were raised, and call upon
them for the answers. If nobody has raised their hand at the 5” mark, issue the “stop”
order and provide the answers, which follow.]
According to a 19th century rabbinical authority, if you are in a land where the sun
doesn’t set, you adopt the clock of the place from which you came. If you’re from
New York, you start your Shabbat observance according to New York time. If you’re
from Paris, you observe according to Parisian time.
The other perspective is one that simplifies Shabbat timekeeping and at the same time
celebrates the centrality of Israel to Jewish life everywhere on the planet. According
to this practice, you simply turn your focus to the holiest city in Judaism and observe
Shabbat according to the hours it is celebrated in Jerusalem!
[Distribute prizes.]
As you will read in your handout about the history of Finland’s Jewish community, it is a
community that has always been small – no more than 2,000 members – and has faced
significant challenges over the years. From settlement bans under Swedish rule, to legal
restrictions under Russian authority, to the stresses of two World Wars, Finland’s Jews
have not only survived, they have grown stronger in spirit. And this may be the
common thread amongst all of the small, remote northern Jewish communities we
identified today – the vision of thriving Jewish life is realized, every day, in the actions
and commitment of each community member.
Optional Curriculum Enhancement
Consider utilizing this lesson with the video/curriculum guide of Volume 6.2 (Jewish
Community of Serbia) for a two-part series on small but special Jewish communities
around the world.
3
4
5
The Jews of Finland – Past & Present
The three modern centers of Jewish life in Finland and the town where the first Jew is believed to have settled
6
Finland: A Brief History
The first Jew said to have settled on what is today Finnish soil was Jacob Weikam (later Veikkanen). He
is known to have settled in the town of Hamina in 1782 which was then under Russian rule as part of the
province of St. Petersburg. Little more is known of this early Jewish settler.
Finland, as an independent country, did not exist until 1917. In the 1700s and 1800s, most of its territory
was part of the Kingdom of Sweden and some areas were considered part of Russia. Under Swedish
law, Jews were allowed to reside in only a few towns, all of them outside the territory that is now
modern-day Finland.
In 1809, after Sweden was defeated in the Russian-Swedish War (part of the Napoleonic Wars), Finland
became part of the Russian Empire, as an autonomous Grand Duchy. However, the Swedish legal
system remained in place, meaning that Jews were still unable to settle beyond a limited number of
communities, none of which were in present-day Finnish territory.
Restrictions under Russian Rule
Despite the legal difficulties, during the period of Finnish autonomy as a Grand Duchy (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. Known as ‘cantonists,’ they had been forced into the Russian army in
childhood, and were required to serve at least 25 years. After their term
expired, they had the right to remain in Finland regardless of Finnish ban on
Jewish settlement.
During this time, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Shyne (pictured at right), who was
born in Russia, became rabbi of the small Jewish community in Helsinki. He
continued in this role until 1885 when he immigrated to Scotland. By 1907, he
had made aliyah to Palestine, to join the Zionist movement in the Jewish
homeland.
Rabbi Abraham Shyne
Scottish Jewish Archives Centre
By 1889, the government of the Grand Duchy had issued a number of decrees concerning the Jews in
Finland. Work occupation restrictions meant in practice that they were to continue supporting
themselves mainly as dealers in second-hand clothes. They were forbidden to attend fairs or perform
activities outside their town of residence. Children were allowed to stay in Finland only as long as they
lived with their parents or were not married. The slightest violation of any of these limitations served as
grounds for expulsion from Finland.
Finnish Independence and Jewish Emancipation
The struggle for equal rights for Jews had been taken up in the Finnish Diet as early as 1872. The press
debate on Jewish emancipation continued well into the 1880s. However, this period did not see any
change for the better in the status of the Jews in Finland. By the end of the 1880s, about 1,000 Jews
resided in Finland. It was not until 1917, when Finland became independent, that Finnish Jews
received civil rights. In January of 1918, the Finnish Parliament instituted an act through which Jews
could, for the first time, become Finnish nationals.
7
Between and During the World Wars
Between the two World Wars, the Jewish population in Finland increased to about 2,000 as a result of
immigration, mainly from Soviet Russia during the early period of the Revolution. Many young Jews
studied at university, and others entered the liberal professions as physicians, lawyers, and engineers.
Others turned to industry and forestry. The majority continued in the textile and clothing business. With
a few isolated exceptions, Jews did not take part in internal party politics or join any political
movement.
During the Finnish-Russian War of 1939-40, Finnish
Jews fought alongside their fellow countrymen of
other faiths. During the Finnish-Russian War of
1941-44, in which Finnish Jews also took part,
democratic Finland and Nazi Germany fought
alongside one another. Despite strong German
pressure, the Finnish government refused to take
action against Finnish nationals of Jewish origin.
Finnish Jews continued to enjoy full civil rights
throughout the War, and as residents of a
democratic state that had not been invaded or
dominated by the Nazi party, Finnish Jews were
not subject to the mass persecution and
Finnish Jewish Soldiers
genocide that rained down on the rest of Europe
and Russia. Even the Finnish Far Right parties did
not pursue mass persecution of the Jews, largely (it is thought) because of the influence of Lutheran
church leaders.
In the late 1930s, approximately 500 Jewish refugees arrived in Finland, though about 350 of them
eventually moved on to other countries. In November 1942, eight 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 Jewish refugees were deported from Finland after protests by ministers and the
Archbishop of the Lutheran church and by the Finnish Social Democratic Party.
Yad Vashem records that 22 Jews of Finland died in the Holocaust; all of them died fighting for the
Finnish army. The German Army attempted to award Iron Crosses to two Jewish officers of the Finnish
army and one Jewish female member of the Lotta Svärd (a Finnish voluntary auxiliary paramilitary
organization for women), but they would not accept them.
There are many interesting anecdotes from this period, which include a report of a Jewish prayer tent
(a ‘field synagogue’) on the Russian front, virtually under the noses of the Nazis; and one concerning
food assistance given to Russian-Jewish POWs by the Jewish community of Finland.
The Postwar Era
After the end of World War II, the integration of Finland’s Jewish population was completed. Several
years later, the government of Finland donated weapons to Israel during the 1948 War of
Independence, 28 Finnish Jews fought in the War, and numerous other Finnish Jewish volunteers
traveled to Israel to help build the fledgling state. Since 1948, approximately 400 Finnish Jews have
immigrated to Israel.
8
Finnish Jewry Today
Today, Finnish Jewry numbers approximately 1,500 people: 83% in
Helsinki; 12% in Turku, and 3% in Tampere, with others scattered in
different communities.
Helsinki Synagogue
Both Helsinki and Turku have organized Jewish life.
The Helsinki
synagogue was built in 1906 and the Turku synagogue in 1912. There
is also a Chabad Lubavitch rabbi based in Helsinki. Kosher food is
available and there is a kosher butcher. There is a Jewish day school
in Helsinki, in which 100 students are enrolled from grades one to
nine, a Jewish kindergarten and a Jewish service home for the
elderly.
Though a small number of Jews continue to reside in Tampere, they
no longer have an organized community, having discontinued
synagogue and related activities in 1981.
Turku Synagogue
The communities are members of the Central Council of Jewish
Communities in Finland, a consultative body dealing with matters of
general interest concerning Jews in Finland. This body is a member
of the European Council of Jewish Community Services and of the
World Jewish Congress. Connections are also maintained with
communities in the other Scandinavian countries.
The majority of 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 Finland’s Advisory Board for
Ethnic Relations (ETNO).
Most Finnish Jews today are corporate employees or self-employed
professionals; some are civil servants; still others are painters,
musicians, authors and scientists. In 1979, Ben Zyskowicz became
the first Finnish Jew to be elected as a member of the Finnish Parliament, where he continues to serve
today. Another Finnish Jew, Max Jakobson, served as Finnish Ambassador to the United Nations.
MP Ben Zyskowicz
Learn More
www.jchelsinki.fi – Website of the Jewish Community of Helsinki
http://www.lubavitch.fi/ - Chabad Lubavitch of Finland
http://www.eurojewcong.org/ejc/news.php?id_article=77 – European Jewish Congress
Book: The Jewish communities of Scandinavia--Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland – by Daniel J.
Elazar, Adina Weiss Liberles, and Simcha Werner (1984, University Press of America, in English).
Sources: Jewish Virtual Library, Jewish Helsinki website, European Jewish Congress, Wikipedia
9
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