History of the Jews in Finland

The history of the Jews in Finland goes back to the late 18th century. Many of the first Jews to arrive were nineteenth-century Russian soldiers known as cantonists who stayed in Finland after their military service ended. Jews were granted full civil rights as Finnish citizens in 1918, making Finland one of the last European countries to do so.

During World War II, Finland's position as a co-belligerent with Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union presented a challenge for Finnish Jews who fought in the Finnish army alongside the Nazis. Finnish Jews were protected by Finnish authorities despite German pressure, but eight Austrian Jewish refugees were deported to Germany in 1942, a move that was considered a national scandal. Finnish government apologized for the extradition in 2000.

The two synagogues in active use today in Finland were built by Jewish congregations in Helsinki and Turku in 1906 and 1912, respectively. The Vyborg Synagogue (built 1910–1911) was destroyed by Russian air bombings on 30 November 1939, the first day of the Winter War.

Today, Finland is home to around 1,800 Jews, of which 1,400 live in the Greater Helsinki area and 200 in Turku. Finnish and Swedish are the most common mother tongues of Jews in Finland, and many also speak Yiddish, German, Russian or Hebrew. Since data collection began in 2008, incidents of antisemitism have been on the rise in Finland. The number of incidents are likely under-reported, as Finland does not have a systematic method for recording specific forms of hate speech that incite violence or hatred.