The Archives of Boris Grünstein

Collection

Scope and content:: The collection holds the archives of Boris Grünstein from the years 1930–1992. The collection contains biographical material, correspondence, revue manuscripts, scrap books and records of the fur firm Jakob Grünstein Ltd (Oy Jakob Grünstein Ab). The biographical material (file 1) contains CVs, official certificates, estate inventories, degrees, diplomas, talks and articles about Judaism and Israel, and book reviews and photos. The correspondence (file 1) contains the correspondence (1937–1942) between Boris Grünstein and his mother Olga Grünstein, and sent and received letters (1982–1983). The revue manuscripts (file 2) include the revues Finland Hurra!, Onnenpotku and Tuolla Pohjantähden yllä. The scrap books (file 3) include volumes from 1942–1964 containing newspaper clippings about revues and plays, photos, brochures, posters and letters. The records of Jakob Grünstein Ltd (file 4) contain minutes (1987), a financial statement (1986), correspondence (1981–1988), talks about fur business, fur brochures and advertising.

Archival history:: The archives of Boris Grünstein were donated in 2010 by his family as part of the initiative to collect private archives of Jewish individuals in the National Archives of Finland. The initiative was funded by the Leo and Regina Wainstein foundation. The Boris Grünstein archives were organized in the National Archives in Helsinki.

Administrative/biographical history:: Lawyer and managing director Boris Grünstein was born in 1917 to Olga and Jakob Grünstein in St. Petersburg. During the Russian Revolution the family emigrated to Finland. Boris Grünstein studied law in Helsinki and after the Second World War he took over his father’s fur business and developed it into one of the leading fur firms in Finland. In 1970, the firm started industrial fur production in Loviisa. Already during the Second World War, Grünstein wrote Swedish-language revues for the entertainment squads and after the war he continued to write revues for the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki. Grünstein held various positions in the leadership of the Jewish community of Helsinki and wrote actively about Israeli politics in the Finnish press. In 1988 he published his memoirs Jude i Finland (Being Jewish in Finland). Grünstein died in 1992 in Helsinki.

Access points: persons/families:: Boris Grünstein; Jakob Grünstein; Olga Grünstein

Subject terms:: Correspondence; Financial records; Literature; Literature--Novels, poetry, and plays; Manuscripts; Newspaper clippings; Personal records; Photographs; Posters; Theatre; Trade and commerce