Estonia: Update to Response to Information Request EST16657.E of 1 March 1994 on Jews, including their treatment and the state protection available to them
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | EST29258.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Estonia: Update to Response to Information Request EST16657.E of 1 March 1994 on Jews, including their treatment and the state protection available to them, 1 May 1998, EST29258.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac2118.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the National Conference on Soviet Jewry's (NCSJ) Winter 1997-1998 Country Reports: Inside the Former Soviet Union:
Today, the Jewish population is estimated around 3,000, concentrated mostly in the capital city of Tallinn....Most Estonian Jews are Russian-speakers. Many have difficulty passing the language test required for citizenship and obtaining employment because they do not speak Estonian. Unemployment continues to be a severe problem. While they pay the same taxes as full citizens, they do not receive the rights that Estonians citizens enjoy.
Currently, there is no government-sponsored anti-Semitism....Recently, economic problems and anti-Russian sentiment have overshadowed anti-Semitism. There have been reports of anti-Semitism exhibited by Russian groups within Estonia. For example, one Russian newspaper, the Russian Telegraph, has printed a number of articles hostile to Jews. Estonian nationalist groups espousing anti-Semitism, however, appear to have become less active since 1996. This decline in anti-Semitism comes shortly after the Minister of Internal Affairs assured the local Jewish community that the government would struggle against anti-Semitism in the country.
A 24 January 1997 Daily News Bulletin of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) also stated that the language laws of Estonia are impeding the ability of Jews to obtain employment.
According to a January/February 1997 issue of the Israeli Consulate Bulletin and a NCSJ May 1997 News Watch article, an Estonian court fined two ethnic Russians for distributing anti-Semitic literature in April and May of 1996 in Sillamae and Narva.
According to a 22 January 1998 Baltic Times article, there was a fire on 5 January 1998 at a Tallinn synagogue and a smaller fire on 3 January 1998 at a Jewish cemetery in Tartu. A Jewish community board member stated that the former fire, which is under investigation, caused approximately $3,000 worth of damage (ibid.).
Information on the state protection available to Jews in Estonia could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
The Baltic Times [Riga]. 22 January 1998. Steven C. Johnson. "Suspect Synagogue Fire."
Israeli Consulate Bulletin [n.p.]. January/February 1997. "Estonia."
Jewish Telegraph Agency Daily News Bulletin [New York]. 24 January 1997. Lev Krichevsky. "Jews in Estonia, Moldova Harmed by Language Laws."
National Conference on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ). Winter 1997-1998. Country Reports: Inside the Former Soviet Union. Washington, DC; NCSJ.
News Watch [New York]. May 1997. National Conference on Soviet Jewry. "Estonia: In February, a court..."
Additional Sources Consulted
The Baltic Times [Riga]. January 1997 - October 1997.
Antisemitism in the Former Soviet Union: Report for 1995-1997. 1997. Washington, DC; Union of Councils for Soviet Jews.
Minority Rights Group International Report [London]. November 1997.
Transition [Prague]. January 1997 - March 1998.
Uncaptive Minds [Washington]. Spring 1997 - Fall 1997.
Two oral sources contacted did not provide information on the requested topic.
