The Wandering Jew

The Wandering Jew Scandinavian Journeys Finland

By Hershel Lieber

Helsinki, winter 1981 Snow sculptures, 1981

The first time we were in Finland was in January of 1982. Helsinki, its capital, was the first and last leg of our trip to the Soviet Union. We were on the maiden mission on behalf of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel which would take us to the cities of Moscow, Minsk, Vilnius, Riga and Leningrad. Our activities in those places were focused on the fledgling baalei teshuva movement in particular, as well as the Jewish community, at large. I have written about these trips before and on the impact that they had and still have on our lives.

We arrived in the late morning and took a taxi to the Hotel Hozpiz in the center of the town. Our room on the fifth floor was extremely small and modest. The most important features to us were that the room was clean, cozy, and well-heated. We were comfortably dressed in warm clothing, and the weather was not too harsh, so we walked around the local streets.

Helsinki is not on the list of major tourist destinations, and it was evident why when we strolled around the city center. It was late in the afternoon when the streets were crowded with people returning from work and the shops were quite busy. We picked up some fresh produce and drinks in a supermarket but were unable to make out any signs or advertisements. Finnish has no connection to any European languages other than Estonian and somewhat to Hungarian, so we could not even guess what the words can mean. We went to a department store where we bought our three daughters skirts and vests. Nightfall was early so we headed back and did what every good Finnish citizen does before going to bed: we went to the hot rock heated sauna, which we had for ourselves. Alternating between the dry heat of the sauna and a pleasant shower was very relaxing for our muscles and ensured us a very soothing sleep.

The next day we still had a few hours before we would have to leave to the airport. We toured the Old Senate house and visited the indoor and outdoor food market which specialized in fresh fish from the morning’s catch. We were pleasantly surprised by an exhibition of ice and snow sculptures at a nearby park which were huge and of unusual themes. We also visited the House of Finnish Design which

Sybelius Monument Old Village houses on Seurasaari Island Pesi at the Soumenlinna Fortress

highlights the stark modern shapes and bold colors that are incorporated in every range of Finnish products. Furniture, tableware, and clothing are only some areas that exemplify the uniqueness of Finish design. After a bit of shopping, we finally headed to the airport and our actual destination, Moscow. On our return trip, we spent a night at the posh Helsinki Intercontinental, and in the morning, Pesi bought a beautiful fox tail collar, which was a bargain. Our total stay in Finland was only two days, but it gave us an overview to the “Land of the Midnight Sun.”

In 2013, I was approached by Sheila Schwebel of Tourrific Travel about leading a tour to Russia. Sheila specialized in tours for women and had organized trips to many foreign countries which were rated “outstanding” by all participants. This would be her first venture to the former Soviet Union, and she felt that my knowledge and our experiences would enhance this journey for the travelers. I was honored to be part of this expedition and readily accepted. Pesi was also excited, as she had much to add that would be of great interest to the women. I worked with Sheila to organize many aspects of the itinerary and even produced an excellent brochure which was used as a reference guide. I also suggested that we give an additional option to the participants – a one-day stopover in Finland, which would add an extra dimension to the trip.

We arrived in Helsinki late Sunday afternoon on August 4, after spending eleven days at the Lauder Summer Retreat in Poland. Sheila’s group would be arriving the next morning for a full day of activities that I had scheduled. I had arranged with

Andrei Zweig to lead our tours and organize our kosher meals in Helsinki. Andrei is a member of the small Jewish community who offers guided tours specializing in Jewish Finlandia. He is also the cantor, a folk singer, and a humorist with a wealth of local knowledge. Pesi and I, as well as the group of women, would be staying at the Crown Plaza Hotel. By the time we finally checked into the hotel, evening was fast approaching. We took a short stroll in a park and bought some fruit and drinks to supplement the sandwiches that we brought from Poland. And we went to sleep. Tomorrow would be a very full day! Our tour group of twenty-eight women landed at 11:30 AM, and we boarded a tour bus that took us to all the sights on our itinerary. We toured the city and got off at Senate Square where Andrei gave

us an in-depth history of Suomi, which is Finland in Finnish. We continued on to the Holocaust Memorial which commemorates Holocaust victims in general. There, Andrei gave us a short history of the Jews of Finland. Among the many interesting facts he shared with us was the following anomaly: no Finnish Jews died in Finland at the hand of the Nazis. In fact, as strange as it sounds, Finnish Jews fought together with Germany during World War II. The Soviet Union had attacked Finland in 1939 and captured large swaths of land. When Nazi Germany invaded Russia in 1941, Finland allowed the German troops to fight the Russians from Finnish territory. The Finns, including Jews, joined them in an attempt to recapture the land they had previously lost. Though they were allies in the war against the Soviets, Finland refused to persecute its Jews, and oddly enough there was a Jewish field synagogue operating in the presence of Nazi troops!

Among the other sights that we were taken to was the monument to Jean Sibelius, the famed Finnish composer. We took a boat to Seurasaari Island where we wandered around the eighty-seven original buildings which are representative of rural Finland over the past four centuries. This was truly a relaxing and gratifying treat.

From there, we went to the lone synagogue in the Finnish capital. Beside the catered, delicious lunch, we were entertained by Andrei as he sang favorite Yiddish and Hebrew songs accompanied by his guitar. Andrei also gave us a history of this beautiful circa 1906 building. The community has about 1,200 members and boasts a small school grades K-9, a mikvah and a kosher store. We also met Chief Rabbi Simon Livson at the shul.

After our meal, we headed to Soumenlinna, the naval fortress that was built in 1748 as a protection against Russian Czarist expansionism. Famous for its classic star-shaped fortification, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, we did not have ample time to explore this interesting bastion and fortress. We returned to the shul where we enjoyed a hot dinner and squeezed onto a tram to return to our hotel.

Tomorrow we would be flying into St. Petersburg where I would begin giving lectures and we would be sharing thirtyyear-old memories of our travels to the Soviet Union.

In fact, as strange as it sounds, Finnish Jews fought together with Germany during World War II

Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.