‘The Golden Chain of Pious Rabbis’: the origin and development of Finnish Jewish Orthodoxy

Abstract

This article provides the first historiographical analysis of the origins of Jewish Orthodoxy in Helsinki and describes the development of the rabbinate from the establishment of the congregation in the late 1850s up to the early 1980s. The origins of the Finnish Jewish community lies in the nineteenth-century Russian army. The majority of Jewish soldiers in Helsinki originated from the realm of Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) culture, that is, mainly non-Hasidic Jewish Orthodoxy that emerged in the late eighteenth century. Initially, the Finnish Jewish religious establishment continued this Orthodox-Litvak tradition. After the independence of Finland, the Helsinki congregation hired academic, Modern Orthodox rabbis educated in Western Europe. Following the devastation of the Shoah and the Second World War, the recruitment of rabbis faced new challenges. Overall, the rabbi recruitments were in congruence with the social and cultural development of the Helsinki community, yet respected its Orthodox roots.

Chabad on Ice

“…Chabad has also played a small but sur prising role in the recruitment policies of the Helsinki congregation. As mentioned above, many Cantonist Jews in Finland came from Litvak Jewish families in Russia that were not affiliated with Hasidism; therefore most of the early rabbis hired by the com munity were nonHasidic Lithuanians (Muir and Tuori 2019). Nevertheless, in the 1960s, when the Jewish Community of Helsinki was in serious need of find ing a permanent rabbi, they sought a rabbi from among a variety of both Orthodox and nonOrthodox denominations (NA Hpl 1968, 1969Czimbalmos 2019;Muir and Tuori 2019).…”

“…As mentioned above, many Cantonist Jews in Finland came from Litvak Jewish families in Russia that were not affiliated with Hasidism; therefore most of the early rabbis hired by the com munity were nonHasidic Lithuanians (Muir and Tuori 2019). Nevertheless, in the 1960s, when the Jewish Community of Helsinki was in serious need of find ing a permanent rabbi, they sought a rabbi from among a variety of both Orthodox and nonOrthodox denominations (NA Hpl 1968, 1969Czimbalmos 2019;Muir and Tuori 2019). In 1967, the congrega tion considered hiring a rabbi with Chabad affili ation from New York, which the con gregational leadership did not reject right away, or at least the rejection is not docu mented, although the board deferred the decision about the rabbi to a later point (JCH Bmm 22.5.1967, 29.5.1967.…”

Turn to Traditions – Calls for Change: Negotiations over Liturgy in the Synagogues of Finland

“…These customs, Minhag Finland, have their origin in the prayer orders, melodies, and liturgical traditions passed down through generations from the first Jewish settlers in Finland: East European Jewish soldiers of the Russian army, who were deployed in the Grand Duchy of Finland (1809-1917 and later settled permanently in the newly founded independent nation (Muir and Tuori 2019). Today the term "Cantonist" is widely used,3 both within the community and in research, to refer to these early settlers and the current members of the community who originate from this old Jewish prewar community.…”