Metadata: Private archives
Collection
- Country:
- Finland
- Holding institution:
- National Archives of Finland
- Holding institution (official language):
- Kansallisarkisto
- Postal address:
- Rauhankatu 17, 00171 Helsinki
- Phone number:
- +358 29 533 7000
- Web address:
- https://arkisto.fi/
- Reference number:
- 630:114
- Title:
- Private archives
- Title (official language):
- Yksityisarkistot
- Creator/accumulator:
- Jewish Community of Helsinki
- Date(s):
- 1850/2000
- Date note:
- From the second half of the 19th century to the end of the 20th century
- Language:
- Finnish
- Swedish
- Yiddish
- Hebrew
- Russian
- English
- German
- Polish
- Extent:
- 42 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Photographic images
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains the records of private persons and families who were members of the Jewish Community of Helsinki or personal records that came into the possession of the community, from the second half of the 19th century to the end of the 20th century. The collection is part of the Finnish Jewish Archives (Suomen juutalaisten arkisto; 630:114). The collection contains records from the following persons and families: Benjamin Bassin, the Schur family, Abraham Stiller, Sara Ethel Weintraub, Simon Federbusch, Santeri Jacobsson, Jac Weinstein, the Goldberg family and Sissi Wein. Besides these, there are smaller numbers of records from 51 other persons and families (listed below). The records contain a plethora of various personal documents including certificates, correspondence, diaries, scrap books, manuscripts of books, plays, poems and stories, printed books, photos etc.
The records of Josef Bassin (file 409), from 1944–1972, contain letters, a certificate, a contract, statistics, materials for the Jewish calendar, death anniversaries.
The records of the Schur family (files 410–411), from 1922–1940, contain Boris Schur’s school certificates, a student record book, his letters from the front and condolences on his death on the front in 1940, Israel (Jakob) Schur’s student certificates, book manuscripts, printed books and family photos.
The records of Abraham Stiller (files 412–414, 436) contain letters from Soviet-Jewish prisoners of war and correspondence concerning Jewish prisoners of war (1941–1944), letters from Jewish refugees and correspondence concerning refugees (1943–1944), other letters received (1940–1983), and books with dedications from Rabbi Schmuel Noson Bukanz and Avrom Sutzkever.
The records of Sara Ethel Weintraub (files 415–426) contain copies of records from the National Archives of Finland concerning Jews in Finland, including records from the secret archives of the Governor General’s Office (Kenraalikuvernöörin Kanslia; 1810–1918), records from the archives of the Senate Economics Committee (Senaatin talousosasto; 1810–1900), records concerning conscripted Jews in Finland (1893–1901), copies of various other records and correspondence, notebooks with copies of newspaper articles.
The records of Simon Federbusch (file 437) contain Rabbi Federbusch’s publications in Hebrew, Finnish and Swedish (1928–1957).
The records of Santeri Jacobsson (file 438) contain correspondence, congratulation cards, prints, articles and photos.
The records of Jac Weinstein (file 439) contain correspondence, a certificate concerning family status, a patent application, magazines, newspaper clippings, manuscripts of various writings, memoirs, short stories, poems and cabaret songs in Yiddish and Swedish.
The records of the Goldberg family (files 194–195) contain cabinet photos and a recording by the Jewish choir of the Turku Jewish Community Community.
The records of Sissi Wein (files 483–493) contain family photos of Sissi Wein (nee Seligson) and her spouse Markus Wein, and photos of his brother-in-law Valdemar Smolensky. The photos include photos from Sissi Wein’s youth, her activity as singer in the entertainment squads of the Finnish army during the Second World War, Markus Wein’s photos from Makkabi, the army, their wedding photos, trips to Israel, the USSR, Czechoslovakia, war veteran activity and Chewra Kadischa, miscellaneous leisure photos, photos of parties, bar mitzvahs, and Valdemar Smolensky’s photos from the army and front during the Second World War.
The records of other persons (files 427–430, 440–442, 494) contain an array of documents, including various certificates, passports, residence permits, citizen certificates, ketubot, correspondence, accounting records, conveyances, guest books, notes, speeches, play manuscripts, concert programmes, scrap books and photos. The following individuals and families are represented: Perec Blaugrund, Simon Drisin, the Engel family, Isak Gordin, Rafael Gordin, Ruben Jaari, Eljas Jacobsson, Mordechai Tsvi Kantor, Harriet Gnendel Kelly, Alter Kotschack, Moses Kotschack, Sender Leffkovitsch, Salomon Manelewitsch, Alexander and Eva Sarsowsky, the Schneider family, the Strasch family, P. Wardi, Rachel Wizcnitser, Mordechai Chosid, Sami Belinki, Golda Blom, Marina Einstein, Beryl Furman, Rafael Gordin, Ester Malke Gordon, Vera Gumpler, H. Jalovitsch, Dolly Katz, Hanna Kersch, Simon Linder, Pesja Rubin, Isak Rung, Haim Israel Segal, Scheine Schwartzman, Wera Schawatzman, Jakob and Miriam Skurnik, Rafael Skurnik, Rahel Shtern, Ester Steinbock, Eva Wardi, Leiba Tobias Weinstein, Bjarne Weintraub, Jakob Josef Weintraub, Wilhelm Wolbe, André Zweig, Elis Sella, Moses Skurnik, Hillel Skurnik, the Schick family, Isak Perlman, and Hanna Taini.
- Archival history:
- The records were kept in the Jewish Community of Helsinki until the mid-1990s, when they were deposited in the National Archives of Finland. There the collection was sorted and catalogued and opened to the public in 1998. Further additions to the collection were made in 2005–2006.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The collection contains records from various members of the Jewish Community of Helsinki. Engineer Josef Bassin (1905–1972) was in charge of preparing the Jewish calendar for Finland. Israel (Jakob) Schur (1879–1949) was the first Modern Hebrew teacher in Finland and wrote books on Judaism and early Jewish history. His son Boris Björn Schur (1915–1940) studied at the University of Helsinki and was killed on the Finnish-Soviet front in 1940. Merchant Abraham Stiller (1885–1972), a council and board member of the Jewish Community of Helsinki, assisted Jewish refugees and prisoners of war during the Second World War. Social worker Sara Ethel Weintraub (1889–1981) collected material about Jewish history in Finland. Dr Simon Federbusch (1890–1969) was the Chief Rabbi of Helsinki and Finland in the 1930s. Consul and human rights activist Santeri Jacobsson (1883–1955) was a central figure in the fight for the Jewish civil rights in Finland in the beginning of the 20th century. Merchant, author and impresario Jac Weinstein (1883-1976) established the Jewish Drama Society in Helsinki in 1922 and was for a long time secretary of the Jewish Community of Helsinki. The Goldberg family lived in Turku and were descendants of former soldier Salomon Goldberg (1878–1961) and Rifke Millner (1882–1959). Sissi Wein (née Seligson, later Seleste; 1918–2009) sang in the entertainment squads of the Finnish army during the Second World War.
- Access points: persons/families:
- Bassin, Benjamin
- Federbusch, Simon
- Goldberg family
- Jacobsson, Santeri
- Schur
- Smolensky, Valdemar
- Stiller, Abraham
- Wein, Markus
- Wein, Sissi
- Weinstein, Jac
- Weintraub, Sara Ethel
- Access, restrictions:
- Use with permission from the Director-General of the National Archives. File 410 contains personal data of sensitive nature, access to which requires additional permission from the Jewish Community of Helsinki (50/100 years, Personal Data Act, 523/1999, §11).
- Yerusha Network member:
- National Archives of Finland