The Washington Estonian Society (WES) proudly commemorated Estonia’s 108th Independence Day with a festive celebration on Sunday, February 22, at ...
Easter marks the start of spring, the triumph of life and renewal and is a time of festivities and tradition ...
A consular mission is an alternative way to apply for documents and provide fingerprints. During consular missions, the consul provides ...
Mõnikord pead lahkuma, et aru saada, kuhu sa tegelikult kuulud. My path back to Eesti wasn't direct. After a disappointing 2011 praktika in Tallinn – no real work, no pay, living over an hour from other noored – I disengaged from eestlus for the first time in my life. It...
This new year is off to a turbulent start: from the roller coaster ride of tariffs and national economy to the U.S. strikes in Venezuela on January 3 and Iran on February 28, and rapidly rising gasoline prices. Russia’s war against Ukraine grinds on. The winter there was extremely difficult,...
The Boston Baltic Film Festival invites you to a special virtual film festival on March 2-23, 2026. The festival will present 26 films from the Baltic region, including seven Estonian productions, all of which will be available for streaming anywhere in the United States and Canada. Many of these films...
My daughter is four months old. She can't ask me what "Estonian" means yet, but when she does, I want to have an answer. I'm 35, American-born with pure Estonian blood. My grandparents fled Soviet occupation in the '30s and '40s, leaving behind everything except their language, their culture, and...
Enable Push Notifications to Receive Timely Updates on New Articles and Announcements




From February 8–11, the international circular design collaboration project Circular Dialogues took place in New York, combining a symposium and a design exhibition and bringing together designers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from the United States and Europe. Held during New York Fashion Week, the program focused on practical and scalable...
The Boston Baltic Film Festival is proud to present The Arvo Pärt Trilogy, Dorian Supin’s three intimate documentaries about the renowned Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, who is widely regarded as the most performed living classical composer in the world. These online films are available for viewing anywhere in the US...
The Boston Baltic Film Festival returns to Boston on Friday, February 27 at 6:30 pm, opening its eighth season with a strong Estonian presence and the North American premiere of “Fränk”, one of Estonia’s most talked-about recent films. The screening takes place at the historic Emerson Paramount Center, where Edith...
Estonia’s 108th anniversary of independence is soon approaching. Let me take you on a short stream-of-consciousness journey. All four of my grandparents were born in the 19th century and were young adults at the time of the nation's birth. I got to know three of them; however, I’m not aware...
“The Trei Family in New York City” is part of Vabamu’s new exhibition “Ilmaküla eestlased” or “Estonia Worldwide,” which tells the story of Estonian diaspora communities from the mid-19th century to the present. “The Trei Family” installation, designed as a digital photo album, highlights the lives of my grandparents, Alice...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, January 15, representatives of the Central & East European Coalition (CEEC) met with the offices of five key members of Congress to discuss critical security issues affecting the region and U.S. strategic interests. The bipartisan outreach included meetings with the offices of Senator Mitch McConnell...
The popular Estonian film “Fränk” opens the 8th season of the highly acclaimed Boston Baltic Film Festival on February 27, 2026 at the historic Paramount Theater in downtown Boston. Tõnis Pill, the film’s director and Edith Sepp, CEO of the Estonian Film Institute, will introduce the film. “Fränk” was the...
As we enter 2026, I wish you all a healthy, prosperous, and joyful New Year on behalf of the Estonian American National Council! Amid the crosscurrents of today’s world, we as Estonian Americans can find inspiration, purpose, and a sense of grounding in our heritage and in the enduring richness,...
The Baltic Security Initiative is now officially ensconced in the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act at a level of $175 million. The act, which was signed into law by President Trump on December 18, will deepen “security cooperation with the military forces of the Baltic countries” and “achieve United States...
Director Taavi Arus' new feature-length documentary about Estonian Eurovision stars Puuluup will be screened as the opening film at the 2026 DocPoint Tallinn film festival on February 3. "Puuluup – kaablid autos veel" ("Puuluup – Cables Still in the Car") tells the story of unlikely duo Ramo Teder and Marko...
Vaba Eesti Sõna (VES), a 'Free Estonian Word,' is an Estonian expatriate bi-weekly newspaper with a national readership, founded in 1949 and published in New York City by The Nordic Press Estonian-American Publishers, Inc.
» Learn More About VES
» Signup For the Newspaper
» Contact VES
» Support Our Work
Follow our Facebook page to stay up to date with the latest news, highlighted events, and community updates from our newspaper.
© 2024 The Nordic Press Estonian-American Publishers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.