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Saturday, May 20, 2023, was a wonderful day. The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, and the Baltimore-Washington Estonian Singers held their spring concert at the Latvian Lutheran church in Rockville, Maryland. Before the concert began, Ado Valge gave a historical overview of the choir. Soon after, 29 singers...

August 22, 1934 – May 11, 2023 Vello Ederma, 88, of Springfield, Virginia passed away on May 11, 2023, in his home surrounded by family. Vello was born on August 22, 1934, in Rakvere, Estonia to John (Juhan Hillar) and Klara (n. Vorteil) Ederma. He along with his parents and...

Estonian émigré Illar Muul – a virologist, a flying squirrel researcher, a protector of the rainforest and an engineer of canopy walkways – was relatively unknown in the country of his birth; now a new exhibition in his honour at the Estonian Museum of Natural History introduces him in his...

The new director and CEO of the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom in Tallinn, Karen Jagodin, visited the Latvian Museum in Rockville, and the JBANC office on May 4. Ms Jagodin was in the United States during Vabamu’s 20th anniversary this year to promote new initiatives and future exhibits...

Karl Altau, JBANC In his May 12 article for Foreign Policy magazine, “NATO’s Got a New Backbone,” House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) argues that “It’s time for the United States to prioritize members of the alliance that understand the Russian threat and are taking it seriously.” Rogers...

On Tuesday, May 9th, the Office of the Prosecutor General launched criminal proceedings to investigate the use of Ukraine aid sums by Estonian NGO Slava Ukraini. Proceedings were launched based on the embezzlement section of the Penal Code. The Estonian proceedings were launched the day after similar proceedings in Ukraine....

Kultuuripäevad, which offered a weekend of Estonian cultural activities in NYC, culminated this year with the Pööriöö Ball on April 15th. It was an unforgettable night spent celebrating Estonian culture, community, and tradition. The Bohemian National Hall, located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, was transformed into a beautifully...

Estonian-American artist, Jaanika Peerna's large drawing from the “BIG MELT” series, made with pigment pencil and melting ice was presented by President Alar Karis to Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia during their visit to Estonia this week. An additional gift was the recent monograph “Jaanika Peerna: GLACIER...

"A TALK with the Ambassador: View from Estonia, and an EANC TOWNHALL: What is the Future of ESTO festivals?" The Estonian American National Council (EANC) announced this week that Estonian Ambassador to the United States Kristjan Prikk will be featured as the keynote speaker at its virtual forum on Friday,...

In an interview on French TV, China’s ambassador to France said that former Soviet (occupied, ed.) countries have no effective status in international law. European governments reacted swiftly, condemning the remarks. Numerous EU politicians called on France to expel Lu Shaye, the author of the “unacceptable and outrageous” statement. In...