By Andrew L. Jaffee

Here we go again (again). This time it started with Estonia’s morally sound decision to dismantle a symbol of Russian/Soviet conquest and occupation of their homeland (Eesti). Every time I express support for the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), some troll comes out of the woodwork calling me a “Nazi collaborator,” or insisting that “all” Balts were Nazi collaborators. It’s almost funny, as I’m an American-Lithuanian-Jew — try that one — and I’ve heard it from both sides: “All Jews were communists,” “All Lithuanians were Nazis,” etc. But the pro-Soviet trolls aren’t interested in the truth. I interpret their obsession with Nazi war crimes — while ignoring Soviet war crimes — as an attempt to sanitize what the Russians and their collaborators did during their occupation of the various Soviet “republics.” The trolls are also attempting to preserve the gleaming image (murderous rampage) of communism.

I’ve visited some of the many sites in Lithuania where the Germans and their Lithuanian collaborators murdered Jews. I was taken to see them by Lithuanian friends and family: some Jews, some Lithuanians, some Russians. I’ve been to the Holocaust museum in Vilnius (about a block away from the Frank Zappa memorial — try that one). It was disturbing. But my Lithuanian family and friends didn’t collaborate with the Nazis or the Soviets. Some hid Jews during the Holocaust. Some married Russians, Jews, and Lithuanians.

Yes, some Estonians collaborated with the Nazis — no question. But many Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Poles, Czechs, etc., collaborated neither with the Nazis or the Soviet murderers. Is France a “Nazi” state? It had a government called the “Vichy”, whom collaborated with the Nazis. Just because some Estonians were Nazis doesn’t make all Estonians anything. The Left’s darling Red Army goons, many of whom were Russian, killed millions of other Russians — but not all Russians were commies.

How many Soviet/Russian war criminals have been brought to justice? For Stalin’s purges against Jews? (Yes, Stalin was a Georgian, but he had millions of Russian apparatchiks.) For the Russian occupation of the Baltic, when thousands of Lithuanians were murdered, and at least 250,000 were deported to Siberia? For the Katyn Forest Massacre, where mostly Russian Soviet troops executed between 4,000 and 10,000 Polish soldiers? For the millions of Ukrainians starved to death by a Soviet-engineered famine?

Here are some snippets from the Jewish Virtual Library’s profile of Eesti (below). That organization is well aware that not all Estonian/Nazi war criminals have been dealt with, but they don’t accuse all Estonians of being “Nazis:”

…Approximately 200 Jews fought in combat for the creation of the Republic of Estonia, and 70 of these men were volunteers. The creation of the Republic of Estonia in 1918 marked the beginning of a new era for the Jews. From the very first days of her existence as a state, Estonia showed her tolerance towards all the peoples inhabiting her territories. The government sought ways to overcome national hostilities and discrimination. This set the stage for energetic growth in the political and cultural activities of Jewish society. …

On 12 February 1925, the dream was fulfilled. The Estonian government passed a law pertaining to the cultural autonomy of minority peoples. This was a logical step forward in the national policies of the Estonian Republic. The Jewish community quickly prepared its application for cultural autonomy. Statistics on Jewish citizens were compiled. They totaled 3,045, fulfilling the minimum requirement of 3000 for cultural autonomy. In June 1926 the Jewish Cultural Council was elected and Jewish cultural autonomy was declared. The administrative organ of this autonomy was the Board of Jewish Culture, headed by Hirsch Aisenstadt until it was disbanded in 1940. When the German troops occupied Estonia in 1941, Aisenstadt evacuated to Russia. He returned to Estonia when the Germans had left, but was arrested by the Soviet authorities in 1949. …

The peaceful and active life of the small Jewish community in Estonia came to an abrupt halt in 1940 with the Soviet occupation of Estonia. Cultural autonomy in addition to all of its institutions was liquidated in July 1940. In July and August of the same year all organizations, associations, societies and corporations were closed. A large group of Jews (about 400) were deported on 14 June 1941. After the German occupation later in 1941, all Jews who had failed to flee were murdered. According to data from Israel, 1,000 Estonian Jews were executed in 1941.

After the war, a number of Jews who had previously fled to the Soviet Union returned to Soviet-occupied Estonia. There was, however, no rebirth of Jewish cultural life. Communist Party policies were hostile to Jews and were implemented as part of an anti-Zionism campaign. Hence, in addition to physical destruction, the Jews in Estonia met moral and cultural catastrophe. …

From 1940 until 1988 the Estonian Jewish community, as elsewhere in the Soviet Union, had no organizations, associations nor even clubs.

In March 1988, the Jewish Cultural Society was established in Tallinn. It was the first of its kind in the entire Soviet Empire. … An agreement was reached with the director which allowed the Sunday School to use the school rooms. In 1990, a Jewish School was established. …

The restoration of Estonian independence in 1991 brought about numerous political, economic and social changes. The Jews living in Estonia could now defend their rights as a national minority. The Jewish Community was established in 1992, and its charter was approved on April 11, 1992. …

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Related: Europe, Political Correctness, Communism / Socialism, Russia, Baltic States

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