Text Terhi Hakala

The reddish-brown cupola of the Helsinki Jewish Community stands out at the Kamppi Metro station behind the Radisson SAS Hotel. When the hotel was being constructed, the synagogue, built in 1906, should have been placed hiding behind it, according to the original plans. However, the architect´s drawings were altered by the city.

– We and many other residents in Helsinki found it important the synagogue was preserved in the townscape, says Dan Kantor, executive secretary of the Jewish community. It´s obvious the Jewish community wishes to be seen even though it doesn´t want to attract attention. In terms of small religious communities, this is difficult in society where the main population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

– Evangelical Lutheranism is often felt to be neutral, which can occasionally cause strange things, Kantor ponders.

As an example, he mentions corporation tax. All the enterprises pay corporation tax, regardless of which religious community their owners belong to. The important services in society, such as burial services, which are maintained by the church lay the foundation of the corporation tax. According to Mr Kantor, this is contradictory. Although another religious community provides the same services for its members, it isn´t entitled to receive the same subsidy from the state.

Religious freedom ought to be realised in practice

The special position of the Evangelical Lutheran Church can be seen in religious instruction at schools. Despite their religion, all pupils can participate in the religious education of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, but only those who don´t belong to the church are allowed to study ethics. In Mr Kantor´s opinion, the reason for this is the fear of pupils replacing lessons of religion with ethics.

Kantor emphasises that society has to provide people with equal opportunities to practise their own culture and religion. In principle, this is guaranteed by the freedom of religion act, but in practice, equality cannot always be realised, especially in terms of financial preconditions. For the first time, a recent amendment to the state subsidy system of religious communities provides an opportunity in principle to grant state subsidies directly to other religious communities, besides the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Orthodox Church. However, nothing has changed in practice.

– In my view, we have to adapt a clear policy. In other words, equal opportunities ought to be created for each religious community to practise and cherish its own culture and religion, supported by society, or the state and the church should be entirely separated from each other. This means that all religious groups would have to get along on their own and religious instruction would be abolished at schools.

– Anyway, it´s also essential, whatever religious community one belongs to or none at all, that besides having rights one must have equal responsibilities for society, Kantor emphasises.

The model of France can lead to displacement

Kantor takes France as an example of the total separation of the state and the church. The multiculturalism of various population groups isn´t really supported in France. Besides, the act leaning on the so called principle of secularity forbids the use of sensational religious symbols at state schools.

– Especially in terms of minority groups with a weak socio-economic position, a policy on fusing has turned into anti-social mobility. Rootlessness combined with poor living conditions and unemployment easily leads to displacement, Kantor states.

In fact, he considers the participation of society in maintaining and supporting multiculturalism a better alternative. He goes on to criticise that recently there have been signs of society refusing to support day-care centres and educational establishments run by religious communities. In the background, there may be concern about what children are taught.

– Finishing the provision of subsidies doesn´t signify that no schools or day-care centres will be set up or the need for them is diminishing. But through subsidies, society can supervise their operations and affect them if necessary.

Unrest is reflected on Finland too

Dan Kantor was employed by the Jewish community as a young student of political science. But what does the executive secretary actually do? He finds the title a little old-fashioned and regards himself rather as the managing director of the community.

– I mainly take care of financial administration, but many other matters of the community too, excluding religious issues.

The Helsinki Jewish community has about 1,150 members. Despite its small size, the community organises a lot of activities. It runs a day-care centre, school and old people´s home. When browsing the website one sees a number of activities available, including a Hebrew club Hug Ivri, a Yiddish club Idishe Vort, a paper Hakehila, a choir Hazamir and a sports club Makkabi. Even the Finnish-Jewish war veterans seem to have their own association.

– We provide services from cradle to grave, Kantor sums up.

Nobody walks in the community without enrolling themselves. The iron gates are locked and the buildings are surrounded by a fence. The gate is guarded by a janitor. Violence in the world is reflected on Jews in Finland, although slightly.

– During the unrest in the Lebanon, we used to receive angry e-mails and telephone calls. They were mostly targeted at Jews, not at Israel. This is a classic example of making the Jews guilty collectively, in other words, it´s a form of anti-Semitism. As such, criticising Israel isn´t naturally anti-Semitism, Kantor remarks.

Has anti-Semitism recently increased in Europe?

– Yes, such development can be seen. Anti-Semitism tends to increase as soon as something happens on the frontier between Israel and Palestine. Besides, anti-Semitism seems to be very strong among the European extreme right and left. In other respects, racism has increased. Not just the Jews are the target.

Collaboration with Finnish Muslims

Although the gates of the community are locked, they are not shut. For instance, school classes make visits to the synagogue.

– People know considerably more about Jewishness than 20 years ago, Kantor supposes.

The conflicts in the Middle East create a picture of Jews and Muslims being each other´s enemies. In Finland the situation is not like this. Tartars from Russia are the oldest Muslim community living in Finland and Jews have collaborated with them for decades.

– Our sports clubs arrange friendly matches and we have organised common events at the Pajulahti Sports Center.

According to Kantor, the Jews have maintained appropriate contacts with other Muslims who have immigrated to Finland. Finnish Jews and Muslims have mutual goals. For instance, the groups have had an impact on the act on allowing baby boys´ circumcision and slaughtering animals, according to their traditional custom.

The community engages in integration

The roots of the Jewish community date back to the 19th century when Jewish soldiers having served in the Russian army settled down in Finland. In addition, Jews migrated to Finland from the Baltic and Eastern European countries. Dan Kantor himself is a second-generation Finn.

– My father´s father came from Poland during the First World War and my mother´s father arrived from Lithuania.

As late as about twenty years ago the Jews residing in Finland formed a very unified group. The situation has changed since. Nowadays there are new immigrants mainly from Israel and the areas of the former Soviet Union. Just a moment. Isn´t the migration of Jews directed to Israel and not away from there? Kantor goes on to say that Israeli families who feel insecure in the country tend to migrate abroad.

– Due to the unrest, people suffer from economic difficulties and unemployment. Moreover, some wish to have their children educated in Finland because Finnish schools have a good reputation.

The community helps immigrants adapt to society.

– We have children in the day-care centre and school who can´t speak a word of Finnish at first. They receive individual assistance and remedial teaching in the Finnish language.

The Jewish school is a private comprehensive school which focuses on teaching the Jewish religion, traditions and Hebrew. The school receives a state subsidy for its operations, which doesn´t quite cover the extra costs, due to the teaching of languages and other kind of special education. The community is responsible for the rest of the costs.

Through children the adults get to know each other.

– The community provides a place where people can meet each other and practise their own culture and religion. Children are a good way to involve the whole family in integration, Dan Kantor sums up.