On
28 May 1958 Anna Katzen Ace died in
Kansas City, Missouri, United States. She had survived her husband,
Harry, by almost
40 years since his death in
1918. On her headstone, located in the
Mount Carmel Jewish Cemetery it stated that she was born
20 Mar 1872 in
Estonia. Earlier records, included the
1910 Census for her in
Missouri, and her mother and siblings in
Manhattan, New York, all list
Russia as the place of birth.
So what is Estonia?
Although modern day Estonia didn't regain its Independence until
1991 with the fall of the
USSR, it has a long and changing history. Since
1227, when it was conquered by the
Danes and the
Germans, Estonia has always been a place that others wanted to have. Because of its location other countries found it a desirable trade route between East and West. At various times Estonia has been under the rule of
Sweden, Germany and Russia amongst others.
Historians claim that the first Jews into Estonia could have arrived as early as the 14th century, however, the first Jews to create settlements in Estonia, did so in 1865, when
Tsar Alexander II granted them permission to do so. There was a synagogue in
Tallinn in the 1830's. Following the grant of resettlement a synagogue was built in
Tartu, as the first
50 families settled there.
Large synagogues were built in Tallinn in
1883, and in Tartu in
1901. According to the census records, most of the Katzen family arrived in the United States in the
1890's, so they probably never saw the Tartu synagogue.
The last part of the
19th century and the first part of the
20th century saw great growth and freedom for the Jews. They were allowed to enter the
University in the later part of the
1800's, and then the Independence of 1918 brought even further improvement. The creation of the
Republic of Estonia in 1918, enabled the Jews to flourish. The entire country was enjoying a tolerance toward each other, which gave the Jewish community the ability to organize and grow. By
1925, there were over
3,000 Jews.
All of the peace and growth came to an abrupt halt in
1940 when Estonia was invaded by the
Soviet Union. When the Nazi's began to occupy the country in
1941, all those who had not fled earlier were murdered. Following the war, the freedoms did not return, it was a dark time for the Jewish people.
Independence was regained for Estonia in
1991, and the community was reestablished in
1992. Today, there are over
1000 Jews living in Estonia, and they have recently reopened a synagogue in Tallinn. For a place that saw so many killed, both there own and others who had been transported there, maybe the light of freedom has been re lit.
