Metadata : The Archives of the Finnish Jewish War Veterans
Collection
- Country:
- Finland
- Holding institution:
- National Archives of Finland (Helsinki)
- Holding institution (official language):
- Kansallisarkisto
- Postal address:
- Rauhankatu 17, 00171 Helsinki, Finland
- Phone number:
- +358 29 533 7000
- Web address:
- https://arkisto.fi/
- Country:
- Finland
- Holding institution:
- National Archives of Finland (Helsinki)
- Holding institution (official language):
- Kansallisarkisto
- Postal address:
- Rauhankatu 17, 00171 Helsinki, Finland
- Phone number:
- +358 29 533 7000
- Web address:
- https://arkisto.fi/
- Reference number:
- Suomen juutalaisten sotaveteraanien arkisto
- Title:
- The Archives of the Finnish Jewish War Veterans
- Title (official language):
- Suomen juutalaisten sotaveteraanien arkisto
- Creator/accumulator:
- The Finnish Jewish War Veterans Associaton
- Date(s):
- 1979/2004
- Language:
- Swedish
- Finnish
- English
- Hebrew
- Extent:
- 6 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Photographic images
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- The collection holds the records of the Finnish Jewish War Veterans’ association from 1979 to 2004. Besides this there are documents from the Second World War and the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The records in the collection cover major segments of the association's administration, including administrative and finance records, miscellaneous documents, photos, and other documents, mainly war veterans’ personal documents. The administrative records (files 1–4) include minutes of the board, subcommittees and annual meetings (1981–2001), sent and received letters (1980–1999), anniversary congratulations (1989–1999), cash books and financial statements (1983–2001), and list of donations (1999–2001). The miscellaneous documents (file 5) include the minutes, membership lists, membership forms, programs and speeches of events and a guest book (1988–2004), a memorial publication for Jewish soldiers who fell in the Continuation War (1941–1944), historian Hannu Rautkallio’s questionnaire for Jewish war veterans and working plan for a book (1987), report about a trip to Tallinn, and newspaper clippings about the activities of the war veterans (1974–1994). The photos (file 5) include photos by Ulla Kampman of the association’s 25th anniversary in Helsinki, photos of the secretary of the association Harry Matso’s visit to a meeting of Jewish war veterans in Israel (1988), and other photos of events. The other documents (file 6) include copies of soldier passports (Finnish, sotilaspassi) and records about members of women’s auxiliary force Lotta Svärd, memorial publication (1941) for the Jewish soldiers who fell during the Winter War (1939–1940). There is also a soldier’s passport, a photo and speeches of Josef Lefko (1904–2001), who established the Jewish brothers-in-arms association (Juutalaiset aseveljet) during the war, and who was the chair and honorary chair of the Jewish War Veterans’ Association. The collection contains also Salomon Klass’s (1907–1985) Swedish-language manuscript Memories from the Winter and Continuation War (Minnen från Vinterkriget och Fortsättningskriget 1939–1945) and newspaper clippings about his life and a documentary film manuscript, and Rafael Anker’s (1925–2015), who fought in the 1948 Arab-Israel War, photos, newspaper clippings, publication and a certificate in Hebrew.
- Archival history:
- The archives of the Finnish Jewish War Veterans’ Association was collected by the association and donated to the National Archive of Finland between 2009 and 2018. The collection was arranged and cataloged at the National Archives.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Finnish Jewish War Veterans’ Association (Finnish, Suomen juutalaiset sotaveteraanit -veljespiiri) was founded in 1979. It became part of the Helsinki War Veterans’ Association, and through it the Finnish War Veterans’ Federation. The members of the association consisted of Jewish soldiers who fought in the Finnish forces against the Soviet Union during the Second World War. During 1941–1944 Finland was co-belligerent with Nazi-Germany and Finnish Jews, as other Finnish soldiers, became brothers-in-arm with the Nazis. The association organized its members' recreation and rehabilitation activities, and besides it held contacts with other veteran groups and international Jewish war veterans’ associations. The association has also organized visits to the graves to pay respects to the fallen Finnish Jewish soldiers and supervised the maintenance of the graves. Acting on the initiative of the association, the Jewish Community of Helsinki founded a veteran section in the Jewish cemetery. The association ended its activity in 2014.
- Access points: persons/families:
- Hannu Rautkallio
- Harry Matso
- Josef Lefko
- Rafael Anker
- Salomon Klass
- Ulla Kampman
- Reference number:
- Suomen juutalaisten sotaveteraanien arkisto
- Title:
- The Archives of the Finnish Jewish War Veterans
- Title (official language):
- Suomen juutalaisten sotaveteraanien arkisto
- Creator/accumulator:
- The Finnish Jewish War Veterans Associaton
- Date(s):
- 1979/2004
- Language:
- Swedish
- Finnish
- English
- Hebrew
- Extent:
- 6 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Photographic images
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- The collection holds the records of the Finnish Jewish War Veterans’ association from 1979 to 2004. Besides this there are documents from the Second World War and the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The records in the collection cover major segments of the association's administration, including administrative and finance records, miscellaneous documents, photos, and other documents, mainly war veterans’ personal documents. The administrative records (files 1–4) include minutes of the board, subcommittees and annual meetings (1981–2001), sent and received letters (1980–1999), anniversary congratulations (1989–1999), cash books and financial statements (1983–2001), and list of donations (1999–2001). The miscellaneous documents (file 5) include the minutes, membership lists, membership forms, programs and speeches of events and a guest book (1988–2004), a memorial publication for Jewish soldiers who fell in the Continuation War (1941–1944), historian Hannu Rautkallio’s questionnaire for Jewish war veterans and working plan for a book (1987), report about a trip to Tallinn, and newspaper clippings about the activities of the war veterans (1974–1994). The photos (file 5) include photos by Ulla Kampman of the association’s 25th anniversary in Helsinki, photos of the secretary of the association Harry Matso’s visit to a meeting of Jewish war veterans in Israel (1988), and other photos of events. The other documents (file 6) include copies of soldier passports (Finnish, sotilaspassi) and records about members of women’s auxiliary force Lotta Svärd, memorial publication (1941) for the Jewish soldiers who fell during the Winter War (1939–1940). There is also a soldier’s passport, a photo and speeches of Josef Lefko (1904–2001), who established the Jewish brothers-in-arms association (Juutalaiset aseveljet) during the war, and who was the chair and honorary chair of the Jewish War Veterans’ Association. The collection contains also Salomon Klass’s (1907–1985) Swedish-language manuscript Memories from the Winter and Continuation War (Minnen från Vinterkriget och Fortsättningskriget 1939–1945) and newspaper clippings about his life and a documentary film manuscript, and Rafael Anker’s (1925–2015), who fought in the 1948 Arab-Israel War, photos, newspaper clippings, publication and a certificate in Hebrew.
- Archival history:
- The archives of the Finnish Jewish War Veterans’ Association was collected by the association and donated to the National Archive of Finland between 2009 and 2018. The collection was arranged and cataloged at the National Archives.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Finnish Jewish War Veterans’ Association (Finnish, Suomen juutalaiset sotaveteraanit -veljespiiri) was founded in 1979. It became part of the Helsinki War Veterans’ Association, and through it the Finnish War Veterans’ Federation. The members of the association consisted of Jewish soldiers who fought in the Finnish forces against the Soviet Union during the Second World War. During 1941–1944 Finland was co-belligerent with Nazi-Germany and Finnish Jews, as other Finnish soldiers, became brothers-in-arm with the Nazis. The association organized its members' recreation and rehabilitation activities, and besides it held contacts with other veteran groups and international Jewish war veterans’ associations. The association has also organized visits to the graves to pay respects to the fallen Finnish Jewish soldiers and supervised the maintenance of the graves. Acting on the initiative of the association, the Jewish Community of Helsinki founded a veteran section in the Jewish cemetery. The association ended its activity in 2014.
- Access points: persons/families:
- Hannu Rautkallio
- Harry Matso
- Josef Lefko
- Rafael Anker
- Salomon Klass
- Ulla Kampman
