Chabad Lubavitch of Estonia
Chabad-Lubavitch in Estonia: the Estonian Jewish Center in Tallinn, led since 2000 by Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kot, and the Beit Bella synagogue opened in 2007 as the country's first synagogue since the Second World War
| Chabad Lubavitch of Estonia
| |
|---|---|
| Logo |  Shmuel Kot, 2009 |
| Type | Jewish religious organisation (Chabad-Lubavitch) |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder(s) | Shmuel and Chani Kot |
| Headquarters | Tallinn (10124) |
| Location | Tallinn |
| Area served | Estonia |
| Services | Synagogue, ritual bath (mikveh), kosher restaurant and shop |
| Key people | Efraim Shmuel Kot (Chief Rabbi of Estonia) |
| Website | https://www.ejc.ee |
| Remarks | Operates as the Estonian Jewish Center |
Chabad Lubavitch of Estonia, which operates as the Estonian Jewish Center, is the Chabad-Lubavitch mission in Estonia. It is based in Tallinn and led by Rabbi Efraim Shmuel Kot, the Chief Rabbi of Estonia, and his wife, Chana (Chani). Chabad headquarters lists them as Shmuel and Chana Kot; the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS gives Efraim Shmuel Kot and Chani.[1][2] Kot arrived in Estonia in 2000.[2] It is the only Chabad centre in the country listed by the movement's headquarters.[3]
Beit Bella synagogue
On 16 May 2007 Tallinn opened its first synagogue since the city's original synagogue was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944. JTA described the Beit Bella synagogue as "the brainchild of Kot, an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch Orthodox group", and reported that it housed Estonia's only kosher restaurant and a ritual bath. Those attending included President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, Israel's deputy prime minister, Shimon Peres, and Israel's Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Yona Metzger.[4]
Funding
JTA reported that much of the synagogue's cost of about $2 million was provided by "two wealthy Chabad donors": the Rohr family of New York and Alexander Bronstein, whom it described as a Russian oligarch of Estonian extraction who dedicated the synagogue to his mother. Alexander Machkevich, chairman of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, gave a silver menorah.[4]
State honours
In January 2026 President Alar Karis announced that Kot would receive the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class, for 25 years of service to Estonia's Jewish community. The Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS reported that the nomination came from the Council of the Jewish Community of Estonia and the Jewish Museum.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ "Estonian Jewish Center", Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters (lubavitch.com), accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Chief Rabbi of Estonia Efraim Shmuel Kot to Receive Order of the White Star", Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, 1 February 2026.
- ↑ "Estonia", Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters (lubavitch.com) centres directory, accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Synagogue opens in Estonian capital", JTA, 16 May 2007.