Op-Ed

Karl Altau, JBANC For Estonians, February 24 marks a day of celebration on the anniversary of the 1918 declaration of independence (Manifest Eestimaa rahvastele). This year, Estonia marks its 105th birthday. Freedom can never be taken for granted. Particularly during this time. This is especially tangible considering it being the...

Some 86,000 individuals in the Estonian diaspora are qualified to vote in Estonia’s March 2023 parliamentary elections. Casting ballots abroad is scheduled for February. It was reported that in the 2019 elections, out of 77, 881 who were qualified to vote, only 2016 actually cast their ballots (by mail or...

This article appeared in the "Üleilmse eestluse" / "Global Estonian" November 2022 newsletter in both Estonian and English(www.globalestonian.com) Riina Kindlam There used to be an unwritten rule in Estonian communities abroad that CHILDREN, ANIMALS and ELDERS were always spoken to in Estonian. Slightly older children immediately picked up on how...

Karl Altau / JBANC Following the midterm elections and the Thanksgiving break, the United States Congress is back in action, finishing up business for the year, and this 117th Session of Congress. The new 118th Congress starts its two-year cycle on January 3. This is the third article in a...

Tere kõigile! My name is Liam Kivirist and I recently became a member of the Chicago Eesti Maja, but my grandparents (Aelita and Valdek Kivirist) were long-time members when they were living in Glenview. I grew up in an Estonian-American household and during the COVID pandemic, I took an interest...

I was in Nassau, Bahamas, in 1954 on the charter schooner "Caribee", when Queen Elizabeth, on the Royal Yacht Brittania, was visiting the British Empire, which was vast. We were told in social studies that "The sun never sets on the British Empire", as Britain had holdings in every arc...

It’s perhaps one of the questions most often posed recently. At the time of this writing, Ukrainian forces were making significant gains in the eastern Russian-occupied areas. In fact, a sense of an inevitable Ukrainian victory was palpable. Putin’s bound to retaliate. But will an end to the conflict, which...

The uncouth treatment that New York tennis fans gave Anett Kontaveit at the Arthur Ashe stadium on August 31 is not only unforgivable but nothing less than arrogant. I watched the entire match on Eurosport live and was shocked that a crowd of 30+ thousand was able to stay as...

Pastor Markus Vaga Luke 10:25-37 Sometimes it feels that whenever Jesus needs to make a point, He talks about Samaritans. A good Samaritan is someone who helps a stranger. In fact, here in New Jersey and many other states, there are laws that we call “Good Samaritan Laws” which generally...

It’s no longer news, but it still deserves attention. By mid-April, Estonia had donated proportionally more military aid to Ukraine than any other nation – including the USA and the U.K. Yet, the war is far from being wrapped up. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Estonia...