Anti-Israel sentiment is like a virus, Chaya Votkin, president of the Jewish Community of Helsinki, told JNS at the Yael Foundation’s fourth annual summit on Jewish education in Vienna on Tuesday.
The three-day summit, which opened on Monday night, focused on innovation, leadership, Jewish identity and the challenges of modern education. It also featured the Yael Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, a flagship event honoring leading schools—selected by parents—for excellence in education.
In the past year, the Yael Foundation awarded a total of €40 million ($47 million) in grants to 130 Jewish schools, educators and educational ecosystems. The organization currently provides financial support to 64 day schools, 20 Sunday schools, 18 kindergartens and 11 after-school educational programs.
Votkin described a sharp rise in antisemitism in Finland following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, manifested through online hate, anti-Israel demonstrations, boycotts of Israeli products in supermarkets, the exclusion of Israeli speakers from universities and efforts to halt arms deals with Israel.
“I see a lot of it—anti-Israel actions, boycotts, BDS. It’s like a virus,” she said.
Helsinki’s synagogue was forced to increase security and remain on high alert, she said.
“Every day following Oct. 7, we had a demonstrator near the synagogue standing there and yelling ‘genocide’ and ‘child murderers,’” she added.
Because freedom of speech is strongly protected in Finland, Votkin said authorities were able to move the protester several meters away but did not arrest him.
“The children and parents pass him twice a day. It’s really tiring,” she said.
Jewish studies, Jewish history and Hebrew instruction
The Jewish Community of Helsinki has 850 registered members, though not all Jews in the capital city or across the country are registered. Votkin estimates the total Jewish population of Finland at approximately 2,000.
Finland functioned as an autonomous grand duchy under the Russian Empire from 1809 to 1917. The first Jews arrived as soldiers in the Russian army who remained in Finland after completing their service. While the community remains small, it now includes Israelis and American Jews, spanning the religious spectrum from secular to Orthodox.
The community operates a synagogue, a kindergarten and a school. The school follows the state-approved Finnish curriculum and includes Jewish studies, Jewish history and Hebrew instruction. The kindergarten and preschool serve about 40 children daily, while the school educates 80 students from grades one through nine.
Votkin said media coverage in Finland has been particularly harsh toward Israel and more sympathetic toward Palestinians.
“It’s been very hard for young people at universities. There have been many demonstrations. Other communities don’t constantly have to explain themselves. When it comes to Jews, we are always held responsible for anything Israel does,” she said.
The animosity, Votkin said, stems from three main groups: left-wing communities rooted in Soviet-era ideology, right-wing neo-Nazi movements and segments of the Muslim community. She added that because much of the media leans left and journalists are often trained in left-wing institutions, those affinities are reflected in coverage.
“They don’t bring any sort of neutrality. In the past, they showed interest in Jewish holidays and Jewish life. Now they are only interested in Jewish deaths,” she said. “They speak about the Holocaust for a day, and they covered the Bondi Beach Chanukah terror attack for a day. They are interested in death, when Judaism is all about life.”
Votkin takes her responsibility to sustain Jewish life for future generations seriously. “It’s business as usual. We celebrate holidays and educate children. We just opened a café, and we are planning to open a bar and restaurant in the future. We will have a Jewish hub in Helsinki,” she said.
“We will raise awareness about antisemitism. We need to educate our own community, but also the Finnish people, about Judaism. In that regard, we also have a very good relationship with the government,” she continued.
“While left-wing parties are not so friendly, other parties are, and we have great cooperation with the government, members of parliament and members of the European Parliament as well. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I addressed 160 government officials. They help ensure our security, and we are grateful for that.”
