Communities

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...

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...

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,...

On November 18, 2025, Airi Uuna, Dr. Karsten Brüggemann, and Dr. Kristo Nurmis (pictured with the author), all of Tallinn University, presented their project “The Soviet West Revisited” during a guest lecture at The Ohio State University. The project, funded by the Estonian Research Council, focuses on the everyday experiences...

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...