Estonia

Since Estonia joined the IHRA, awareness of Holocaust issues in the country has considerably increased and the 27 January commemoration has become an integral annual event. The memorial on the site of the Nazi concentration camp at Klooga has been renovated and an outdoor exhibit now completes the memorial. Lessons on the Holocaust have also become part of Estonian school curricula, both in history and social studies. Thanks to the IHRA network and bilateral interstate agreements, our educators now have direct access to the best practices, study materials and educational resources in the world.

Key facts about Holocaust education, remembrance, and research in Estonia

All IHRA Member Countries are asked to complete a basic questionnaire with key facts about the state of Holocaust education, remembrance, and research in their country. The answers to the questionnaire are provided by the national delegations, who are also responsible for keeping the information up to date.

1. What are the most important policy statements on the Holocaust, the genocide of the Roma, and genocide made by your government over the last seven years? Please include the name of the statement, the body who issued the statement, the date the statement was made, and a link.

Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas at Klooga commemoration event, on Sept. 19, 2019

https://www.valitsus.ee/en/news/prime-minister-taavi-roivas-memorial-service-victims-klooga-tragedy-klooga-memorial-victims 2014

Minister of Population Riina Solman at Klooga commemoration event, on Sept. 19, 2019
https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/news-archive/minister-population-attends-commemoration-klooga-estonia

Minister of Education and Science Liina Kersna at International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony on Jan. 27, 2022
Minister Liina Kersna: it is our duty to tell schoolchildren about the Holocaust | Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (hm.ee)

2. Please list, with links, a short description (200 words) of any action plans, statistics, etc. related to countering Holocaust denial and distortion, antisemitism, and antigypsyism/anti-Roma discrimination.

In 2021, the Estonian government adopted a Concept for Measures Against Antisemitism. Based on the working definition adopted by the IHRA, the objective of the concept is to create a comprehensive system for measures against antisemitism in a way that corresponds to the Estonian context and allows for the development of clear and unambiguous guidelines for action against antisemitism. It is comprised of three areas: a) ensuring security for Jewish organizations and Jewish people; b) addressing the Holocaust and antisemitism in education; c) stepping up the detection of crimes and misdemeanors motivated by antisemitism.

3. How numerous and widespread are annual Holocaust remembrance events and remembrance events dedicated to the genocide of the Roma?

Annual commemoration ceremonies take place on January 27, in the capital city Tallinn, with centrally organized and local educational events all over the country.

Every year, modest commemoration ceremonies take place on Sept. 4 and 19 at Kalevi-Liiva and Klooga respectively; every five years a more substantial event (exhibition, conference) is organized around Sept. 19.

On August 2, an annual remembrance ceremony dedicated to the genocide of the Roma takes place at Kalevi-Liiva.

4. Are there any specific academic programs or permanent professorships dedicated to the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma? Y/N If yes, please provide details.

No.

5. Has any noteworthy research been published on the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma in the last seven years? Y/N. If yes, please provide details.

No.

6. Have any surveys been conducted to assess the post-war public understanding of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma? Y/N. Please provide links.

No.

7. What are the most used textbooks and teaching materials on the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma, and when were they published and/or updated?

See the list: Study materials for Estonian students

8. Have any surveys or other educational research been conducted to assess the effectiveness of teaching and learning about the Holocaust and/or the genocide of the Roma? Y/N. If yes, please provide details.

No.

9. What public or private museums, memorials, archives, and/or sites in your country are dedicated to the Holocaust and/or the genocide of the Roma? Please provide details, including the role of central, regional, or local public bodies. Are these institutions listed in the IHRA Overview of Holocaust-related Organizations, in the EHRI Portal, or other databases?

There is no museum nor other institution exclusively specializing to the Holocaust.

The Estonian Jewish Museum (EJM) is a private museum and is dedicated to the history of Estonian Jews from the 19th century to present days and shows their contribution to Estonian life. As part of the Museum, there is a Memory Gallery commemorating Estonian Jews, victims of the Holocaust, with a list of their names.  There is also information about the declaration of “Judenfrei”.

Databases, testimonies and publications are available on the website of the Museum. EJM is listed in IHRA Overview of Holocaust-related Organizations and in the EHRI Portal. The Head of the EJM is a member of the Estonian national delegation to the IHRA.

In 2013, the Estonian History Museum inaugurated a State-funded open-air exhibition at the site of the former Klooga camp. However, as it is not a museum per se, it is not listed in all databases. The exhibition is available also online, on the special web page, uphold by the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory which deals, among other tasks, with the research concerning the Holocaust.

HOLOCAUST IN OCCUPIED ESTONIA 1941–1944 (nazismvictims.ee)

In addition, the National Archives of Estonia (Rahvusarhiiv) and the Estonian Film Archives (Eesti Filmiarhiiv) are listed in the EHRI portal.

 

10. What steps has your country taken towards implementing the International Memorial Museums Charter?

All museums in Estonia, including history museums, are honoring and implementing the ethical code of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). As there are no special holocaust memorial museums in Estonia in the classical sense (i.e. museums at authentic historic sites with thematic collections and programs), implementation of the Memorial Museums Charter, therefore, is not in the order of the day.

11. If an overview exists, how many and which organizations that work in the field of Holocaust and genocide of the Roma education, remembrance, and research receive public funding?

All institutions mentioned under point 9 get public funding; the Estonian Jewish Museum does not get its share of public funding directly but via the Jewish Community which is supported by the government.

12. What are the most important policy statements on genocide or mass atrocity crimes over the last seven years? Please include the name of the statement, the body who issued the statement, the date the statement was made, and a link.

Statement of the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) on the War Crimes and Genocide committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, April 21, 2022.