One Nation, One Heart: A Love Letter from Jewish Finland

No part of the Jewish world was left untouched by October 7 and its aftermath, including Finland, where Chaya Votkin serves as president of the Jewish community of Helsinki. In the years since that horrific day, Votkin has helped lead the country’s Jews through a time of rising global antisemitism and insecurity. 

In search of solutions and camaraderie, she recently attended the 6th Summit of Jewish Leaders in Athens, Greece — a partnership between JDC and the European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC). In this reflection, Votkin describes the difficult reality Finland’s Jews face and the many ways the summit empowered her to lead with courage at this decisive moment.

The first place you felt it was on Facebook and Instagram. Overnight, you had to unfollow groups and people that had become hateful towards you. You saw anti-Israel demonstrations erupt at universities across the country. And the media you once trusted said things you not only couldn’t agree with, but couldn’t bear to hear at all. 

This was our life in Finland after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. You can draw a clean line through that date — before October 7 and after. 

Nothing was the same again. Now we advise people not to wear their Magen Davidor kippah in public. We tell them to stay on alert when they speak Hebrew. After services, we don’t gather in front of shul like we used to — a crowd of Jews might attract the wrong kind of attention. We’ve increased security in community spaces. It’s hit me, too, and I find myself sizing up my fellow commuters on the morning train before I use words like “Yerushalayim” and “Israel.”

It’s crazy. As a Jew in Finland, you have to hold two opposing thoughts in your head: This is the way it must be — and yet it shouldn’t have to be this way. This is the new normal, and yet we must never accept this as normal. 

In the course of our 200-year history, we Finnish Jews have always been a tiny minority. That’s why the ripple effects of that fateful day were felt so strongly here — we are vastly outnumbered. 

The community started like this: In the first half of the 19th century, Jewish soldiers (so-called Cantonists) who served in the Russian Army in Finland were permitted to stay here by the military authorities following their discharge. At the time, no other Jews were allowed to settle here, so this was a unique position for them to be in.

The Cantonists wanted to build families, but there were no Jewish women around, so they brought them from other countries. At first there was no official organization structure, but then it developed over time. 

Two centuries later, we are a small, yet diverse community, with about 860 registered members. Traditionally, we had only one shul and every Jew from every walk of life gathered under a single roof. Today it’s pretty much the same, and I think there’s beauty in that. Despite our differences, we show other communities it’s still possible to live as one Jewish family. 

I believe Jewish Finland should be a safe place for everyone, a space where all Jews can feel a part of something larger than themselves. This happens through our commitment to Jewish life and traditions. 

Though we are small in number, we are equipped with everything a person could want to live a full Jewish life. We have a mikvah, we conduct brit milah, we do bar and bat mitzvah education, and we run a Jewish preschool and Jewish day school for grades one through nine. We also have a wonderful café, a place where everyone — especially isolated, elderly Jews — can gather, socialize, and feel like they belong, especially in these dark times. 

I help ensure that the community remains a cohesive, inclusive space. Though this is my life’s mission, I also have to admit that this is a difficult time to lead. I’m lucky to have an excellent team and dedicated Board.

I’m also thankful I have JDC. None of what we do here would be possible without their support; with scarce resources, there are many meaningful Jewish programs we wouldn’t be able to manage on our own. We’ve gratefully hosted several JDC Entwine Jewish Service Corps Fellows, and I appreciate the JDC community developer who constantly checks in on us. The first two questions they ask are always: “How are you doing?” and “What do you need?” 

JDC is vital not only because of the support they give us in Finland, but for the bridges they build between our community and the greater Jewish world. I felt this deep sense of connection when I attended the recent Summit of European Jewish Leaders in Athens, Greece. There was an immediate feeling of belonging — there I was, one among hundreds of European Jews from 30 countries asking similar questions and facing similar challenges.   

The summit captured the essence of Am Yisrael, the unity of the Jewish people. It was a chance to step outside the stressful situation in Helsinki and go to a place where I knew everyone was on my side. In Athens, I was exposed to new ideas and participated in spirited discussions about the future of Jewish Europe. 

I came away knowing I wasn’t alone, fortified by the collective talent, experience, and dedication of exemplary colleagues who’d committed their lives to building the Jewish future. And since then, I’ve applied their valuable insights back home, where we’re still dealing with antisemitism more than two and a half years after October 7.

In the face of these overwhelming obstacles, my motto is am echad, lev echad — we are one nation, one heart. I know JDC shares that vision, and they are part of the thread that binds us together.

It will be a long road to recovery, but we Finnish Jews are resilient. We want to survive, of course, but we want to thrive, too — to embrace our heritage, celebrate our holidays, and pass on our Jewish traditions without having to look over our shoulder. 

That day will come, and when it does, we will be so much stronger because of the obstacles we’ve overcome together. 

Chaya Votkin was elected as the president of the Jewish Community of Helsinki in May 2025. Education and community building are close to her heart. She works as a lecturer at Aalto University.

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