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EESTI ELU reedel, 16. aprillil 2021 — Friday, April 16, 2021
Nr. 15
Omakase sap
English-language supplement to the Estonian weekly “EESTI ELU” Tartu College Publications Founding Chairman: Elmar Tampõld Editor: Laas Leivat 3 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 2S2 T: 416-733-4550 • F: 416-733-0944 • E-mail: editor@eestielu.ca Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Cold war era rhetoric slams Estonians in Canada Old, Soviet-style disinformation aims at EKN and ÜEKN Consider this quote: “In the 1960’s, the USSR revealed that some Estonian colla borators, including several Estonian Central Council in Canada (ECC/EKN) leaders, had been Nazi collaborators. Labeling this a “soviet propa ganda barrage” and “smear campaign”, the ECC said all the Estonians were innocent victims and had become the “target of a Russian … attack” Canada’s media, the RCMP, top government offi cials and politicians like Lester Pearson all rallied to defend the Estonian allies and to vilify the Soviets for expos ing war criminals who were still hiding in Canada.” It’s from the spring issue of “Press for Conversion” magazine, published by the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT). The 64-page issue carries fully 41 articles attacking Central- and Eastern European organizations, mainly in Canada, who have exhibited a determination not to be bullied by the current regime in Russia. Two of the articles directly target the Estonian Central Council in Canada and the Estonian World Council (EWC/ ÜEKN). These two submissions were written by Richard Sanders, associated with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a group that is considered by some to be a typical left-wing lobby, but which the organization, with charitable status, describes itself as a “progressive” research and public education organization. Among the many other contributors are: Jeremy Kuzmarov, managing editor of Covert Action Magazine, advocating rabidly anti-US foreign policy, a magazine that would suggest imprisoned Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalnoi is just a prop for the US’s anti-Russian campaign; Karen Rodman, peace activist and United Church minister; Scott Taylor, editor of Esprit de Corps, known for his attacks on those that expose Russian/Chinese
propaganda and similar disinformation, and once again targeting Marcus Kolga in a recent issue. Sanders in the recent Esprit de Corps issue quotes Kolga, who stated that Taylor echoes the Kremlin’s propaganda narrative, by misrepresenting “Ukrainian and Baltic freedom fighters who resisted Soviet occupation as Nazis”. In fact that was the consistent central theme of Soviet propaganda aimed at the Estonian refugee community in the West. Sanders, who aimed at Estonians in the Press for Conversion magazine, is prolific in his advocacy efforts. He has also submitted articles for CovertAction. The two pieces, now published in Press for Conversion seem to be written at least over four years ago, since he refers to Markus Hess, the founder of the Black Ribbon Day movement as the president of the ECC/EKN, which he was at the time. The annotated bibliography of the two Estonian-related Sanders articles total 94 re ferences to sources of information. Most of the sources date from the 1960’s and 1970’s, much from the original Esto nian language. This means having access to Estonian translation. (This writer is not up-toscratch on the latest computerized translation technology, but a PDF is not digitally translatable.) Sanders relies heavily on information originating from Soviet-occupied Estonia. San ders relates the story of Alek sander Laak, whom the Soviets had accused of war crimes, alleging that Laak had been connected to a death camp, accusations that Laak totally denied. In 1960 Laak was found hanged in his garage. The media at that time declared it to have been a suicide. By using Laak in an article attacking ECC/EKN, Sanders implies that Laak was a prominent ECC/EKN member. In fact, Laak lived in Winnipeg away from the hub of ECC/ EKN activity, a man unknown to the rest of the Estonian community in Canada. But ECC/ EKN is sullied simply by association in the same article, a
You might have heard of omakase sushi. Omakase is a Japanese phrase, used when ordering sushi in restaurants, which means “I’ll leave it up to you”, from the jaapani/ keelne “to entrust”. The Michelin Guide writes: “Few formal dining experiences are as revered or as intimidating as omakase, a form of Japanese dining in which guests leave themselves in the hands of a chef and receive a meal which is seasonal, ele gant, artistic and uses the finest ingredients available.” Wikipedia adds: “In the U.S., omakase usually refers to an extended sushi dinner, ideally eaten at the sushi counter, where the chef prepares one piece of fish at a time, an nounces its name and origin, answers your questions, and guesses what else you might enjoy and how much more you’d like to eat.” It’s a suhteliselt (relatively) new tradition that began in the 1990s. Entrusting a waiter with choosing a dish for you at any restaurant could be considered an omakase approach. One turist has written: “My best omakase experience in Tallinn was with colleagues at Kaks Kokka (“Two Chefs”), where I had the waiter choose and had some amazing local fish, freshly caught that day.” Jaapanis (in Japan), omakase has even extended to leaving the decision of a soeng (hairstyle) up to your juuksur (stylist), or which clothes you might purchase, up to a trusted stilist.
classic propaganda technique using Soviet material and its techniques. The Black Ribbon Day movement and many other EKN members from 50-60 years ago receive similar treatment. The objective was to discredit anyone who had become an annoyance or obstacle to the advancement of the Kremlin’s foreign policy objectives in the West. Sidebar: This writer had occasion to speak with Imants Lesinskis, a defected former KGB officer who defected in the USA in 1978. During his 23-year career with the KGB in Latvia, Lesinskis served as editor of the newspaper Dzimtenes Balss (Voice of the Latvian Motherland, similar to occupied Estonia’s Kodumaa), and as chairman of the Latvian Com mittee for Cultural relations with Latvians Abroad (Sister organization to Estonia’s VEKSA). Both, according to Lesinskis were KGB fronts. His KGB career, after training, began with directing a system for assembling and distributing disinformation to slander and thus discredit Latvians who were identified to be antiSoviet. The backgrounds of Latvians, who had fled as refugees and were involved in mustering support for the cause of
Mihkli talu (farm’s) old faithful mahla/kask (sap birch). Life blood in Estonian is elu/mahl (“life juice”, sap) and this birch is a mahla/annetaja, sap donor. Birch water is believed to cleanse and invigorate the winter-weary body (puhastab ja kosutab). Foto: Katrin Mandel
In Estonia, the same word has long ago been sliced in two, like a yummy piece of tuuni/ kala (tuna fish) for sushi. Here, oma kase means “one’s own birch’s”. As in the tree, Betula, birke, björk, kask, the eye catching one with the white bark. Not koor (bark), but specifically TOHT, kase/toht. Many Estonians tap maples
Latvian independence, were researched to find some plau sible personal connection that could be cleverly augmented. This would be supplemented by fabricated information, with fraudulent documents and fed to useful idiots in the West, often journalists devoid of the historical context but gullible and delighted to receive a sensational scoop supported by “reliable” proof. The Press for Conversion articles attacking ECC/EKN and EWC/ÜEKN are clumsy replicas of the falsehoods and distortions of the old Soviet narrative. We know that protests about the aggression against Georgia and Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea, the suppression of any possible political opposition and the consequent insistence of maintaining Western sanctions are much more than just simple irritants for the Kremlin. Moscow’s Western proxies must silence or at least malign these sources. Moscow cannot engage in a plausible discourse to counter the legitimate concerns that the ECC/EKN, EWC/ EKN and other aligned organizations represent. Old cold-war dishonest rhetoric is the only ammunition that Russia has left. And Press for Conversion is willing to use it. Sad. LAAS LEIVAT
(vaher, pl. vahtrad), but the art of boiling maple syrup is not widespread. People drink vahtra/mahl (maple sap) which starts to flow earlier, as well as kase/mahl straight, or they might add a splash of berry syrup or juice, or lemon. Kasemahl doesn’t keep well, a week in the fridge at most, so you must either freeze it or leave it hapendama (to ferment), when it takes on a more acidic flavor. (Hapu = sour, hape = acid, hapendama = to ferment.) Hapendatuna (no connection to tuna here) is when it supposedly becomes a real power drink. Either way, it contains small traces of sugar, vitamins and minerals, and is specifically high in nutrients like magnesium and manganese. In recent years, kasemahl has been added to many carbonated drinks and other products in (Continued on page 9)
With temperatures still having dipped below zero on much of mainland Estonia last week, the kase/mahl (birch “juice”, i.e. sap aka birch water) which overflowed from this 5 litre jar froze. It’s Mihkli farm’s oma kase (own birch’s) sap from Riisipere, Harjumaa. Photo: Katrin Mandel
