Category:Estonia
Estonia is a country in Eastern Europe.
- See Estonian -/- Estonian language -/- Estonian Scholarship -- Estonian Scholars -/- Estonian Fiction -- Estonian Authors
Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Estonia
Christianity spread in Estonia only in the Middle Ages. Due to its geographical location, Estonia was influenced by, and divided between, Lutherans and Orthodox Russians.
The presence of Jews in Estonia is documented since the 14th century, but it was only at the end of the 19th century that the Jewish communities of Tallinn and Tartu were established. Although the number of Jews remained much smaller than in nearby Lithuania and Latvia, their relation with non-Jews was far more positive. Jews were a highly influential presence in Estonian society until the Holocaust.
The first groups of Muslims settled in Estonia in the 19th century; their first congregation was officially recognized by the government in 1928.
Contemporary times
Today, the majority of Christian Estonians are either Lutherans (13%) or Orthodox Russians (12%), with smaller percentages of Roman Catholics and others.
More than 75% of Estonian Jews managed to leave the country before the German invasion; virtually all those who remained perished in the Holocaust. Only a few hundred Jews today live in Estonia.
A few thousand Muslims also live in Estonia.
External links
Pages in category "Estonia"
The following 6 pages are in this category, out of 6 total.