International

 The Estonian Students Fund supports students of Estonian heritage studying  full­time at a college or university by awarding scholarships to promising candidates, who demonstrate academic excellence, community activity and leadership, and participation in  and commitment to Estonian society.  We are making preparations for the 2024 application cycle and look forward...

Karl Altau, JBANC As we near Christmas and the New Year, it is glaringly apparent that those of us who support Ukraine’s path to victory against the Russian onslaught will be left with a big chunk of coal in our stockings. Victory will have to wait.The Grinch rejoices today, but...

Karl Altau, JBANC Three focal points have dominated in the United States Congress over the past two months:1) The emergence of new House Speaker Mike Johnson.2) Keeping Congress funded.3) Passing the Ukraine supplemental. Congressman Mike Johnson from Louisiana seemed to have come out of nowhere to assume the Speakership after...

In February 2024, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC) together with maestro Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor, will again embark on a long-awaited concert tour to the United States and Canada after a five-year hiatus. The 2024 tour is supported by the Estonian American National Council (EANC/ERKÜ), which has been committed to...

The Estonian American National Council (EANC) met with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna last Friday, November 3, to voice Estonian American concerns over the planned closures of the Estonian Consulates General in both New York and San Francisco. During the face-to-face virtual meeting, EANC raised key points such as the...

Back in the day, when young folks grew up, they had a sense of adventure and wanted to see the world. They signed up to work on a cargo ship and set sail for where the winds would take them. Why not try a modified version of that today, and...

DID YOU KNOW? September 2024 will mark the 80th anniversary of the Suurpõgenemine (mass flight to the West in 1944), when 80,000 Estonian citizens, including our parents and grandparents, were forced to flee ahead of the 2nd Russian occupation. To remain would have meant deportation to Siberia or certain death....

Siim Sööt, Honorary Consul of Estonia in Chicago This is the first of three articles that explore where people of Estonian ancestry live in the United States. This article focuses on the number of individuals of Estonian ancestry (hereafter called US Estonians) and the recent change in that number. The...

Karl Altau / JBANC On August 1, 2023, the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) hosted a visit and briefing in the United States Congress for rising high-school seniors from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The three dozen students had completed a three-week program in Maine under the auspices of the...

June 26 – July 2, 2025Stockholm-Narva-Tallinn The 2025 Global Estonian Cultural Festival, ESTO, will be hosted in Stockholm, Tallinn, and Narva from June 26 to July 2, 2025. The ESTO Festival has brought together Estonians from around the world since 1972 to celebrate their shared culture, heritage, and achievements –...