Marelinke van der Riet ICEJ Media Dept
Youth Aliyah From The Baltic Region
In a powerful display of Jewish connection, identity and hope, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem sponsored a three-day gathering in May 2025 in Estonia for 35 young Jewish leaders from across the Baltic region.
Organised under the leadership of Ilze Saulite, ICEJ regional coordinator for the Baltics, the gathering aimed to strengthen the participants’ Jewish identity, deepen their understanding of their cultural and historical roots, and encourage preparation for Aliyah (return) to Israel.
This immersive educational event—held in Pärnu, Tartu and Tallinn—was arranged in close cooperation with the Jewish Agency for Israel, which has partnered with the ICEJ in its Baltic Aliyah program since its launch in 2010. The gathering featured guided heritage tours, traditional observances such as a Passover Seder and Shabbat dinner, and in-depth discussions on Jewish history, Holocaust remembrance, and modern-day Israel.
One of the event’s highlights was a professionally led Jewish heritage tour through Estonia’s major cities. Participants visited historical Jewish sites and learned about both the flourishing Jewish communities of pre-war Estonia and the devastation that followed under Nazi occupation during World War II. This included sobering visits and educational sessions about:
- Tallinn, where Einsatzgruppe A and Estonian collaborators carried out mass executions, culminating in the 1944 massacre of 2,000 Jews at Klooga.
- Tartu, where the Jewish community was decimated by 1941, and the once-vibrant Tartu Synagogue was destroyed.
- Pärnu, home to a small but historically flourishing Jewish community, tragically eliminated in the Kurgja Forest during September 1941.
These sobering lessons were paired with sessions focused on Jewish resilience, cultural continuity, and the spiritual journey of Aliyah—a return to their ancestral homeland.
Many of the participants, who had grown up in Poland, Germany and the Baltic States, or were refugees from Ukraine, found new clarity and inspiration through the program. These young leaders—many of whom had felt safe in their local communities—left the event with a renewed sense of purpose and identity. For them, Aliyah became not just a possible option, but a heartfelt calling.
This same growing sense of urgency and reconnection is being felt across Europe. Jewish communities are increasingly motivated by rising antisemitism and a deep desire to return to their roots and support Israel during these challenging times.
In Latvia, the ICEJ’s Riga office is becoming even more important due to our coordination with the JAFI center in Riga, which oversees the Aliyah efforts for Russian-speaking Jews in Europe. Throughout the year, they organise youth summer camps, cultural festivals, educational seminars, and community events that draw Jewish participants from across the region. Many of these initiatives lay the groundwork for families and individuals to eventually make Aliyah.
A major recent development will further boost these efforts: the opening of a permanent Israel Consul’s office in Riga for Russian-speaking European Jews. This step enhances the local capacity to process and support Aliyah applications and underlines the growing significance of Riga as a hub for the Jewish return to Israel.
As the ICEJ continues to expand its outreach, events like the Estonia youth gathering are crucial in shaping the next generation of madrichim—young leaders who will guide others in Jewish identity and possibly toward the path of Aliyah. Whether in the Baltics, France, or beyond, these emerging leaders are becoming a bridge between heritage and homeland, helping their peers rediscover who they are—and where they belong.
Due to our committed, steadfast partnerships with Jewish and Israeli institutions, the ICEJ remains a vital partner in the prophetic return of the Jewish people to their homeland.
You can be part of this historic journey. Help more Jewish youths and families to come home to Israel by supporting our Aliyah and Integration efforts today.
