Mr. Doug Grant
Executive Producer
Studio 2
TV Ontario
Dear Sir:
Parts of your program, An American in Russia, telecast on Studio 2 broadcast on TV Ontario, Wednesday, May 11th, 2005 were deeply offensive to Canadians of Estonian heritage and also factually inaccurate.
Sergei Plekhanov claimed that a monument to Nazi soldiers has been erected in Estonia. He failed to add that the memorial plaque, after being investigated by academic experts, did not in fact contain any Nazi attributes, was erected by local authorities in a remote location in Estonia and was quickly removed by federal authorities to further avoid misunderstandings about the nature of the plaque. Mr. Plekhanov clearly left the impression that Estonia and Estonians tolerate or support Nazi ideology.
Richard Gwyn, in reference to the Balts demanding the Russian Federation offer an apology for the illegal annexation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and 50 years of Soviet occupation, and stated that the Balts should instead apologize for their atrocities committed against the Jews. The implication is that Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians bear a collective responsibility for the Holocaust.
I will only address the Estonian case. Estonia had ceased to exist as a state with the Soviet occupation and illegal annexation of 1940. With the Nazi occupation of Estonia in 1941 that countries affairs were run directly by German Nazi officials under direct line of authority to Berlin.
The slaughter of nearly half the population of indigenous Estonian Jews (of a pre-war population of over 4,000) and the killing of people of Jewish and other ethnicity who were transported to Estonia by German forces was initiated and carried out by German authorities. Yes, some Estonians were involved in this process, most of who have been identified and brought to justice.
It is our understanding that Presidential, Prime Ministerial and Cabinet level apologies and acknowledgements of the complicity of some Estonians in the Holocaust have been made in 1994, 1995, 2002, 2005 and at other times. Memorial plaques have been placed officially by the government at the three locations of German concentration camps in Estonia.
Former Estonian President Lennart Meri in a speech at a dinner hosted in Israel by President Ezer Weizman said the following in 1994: “The Holocaust – the genocide and other atrocities that were committed against the Jewish and Estonian people during WWII were of unexpected cruelty and scale. It is our common tragedy that some of these atrocities were carried out by the Nazis and Communists on Estonian soil, in the Klooga concentration camp: The Republic of Estonia has forever preserved the memory of Jews and Estonians killed by Nazis and Soviets. We shall not forget.”
In an e-mail to Peeter Leppik from Dan Dunsky of TV Ontario dated 13/5/05, Mr. Dunsky in a, insultingly sarcastic tone referred to the “exemplary respect” Estonian showed towards Jews, because “only half of Estonia’s Jews perished in the Holocaust”.
In the Jewish Chronicles, published in 1936 in an article entitled “Through the Baltics, Estonia, An Oasis of Toleration” it is stated: “But whatever fair name this beautiful little country may be called on account of her economic position, it can certainly be said that her treatment of Jews does her honour. Estonia is the only country in Eastern Europe where neither the government nor the people practice any discrimination against Jews and where Jews are left in peace. … Jews are allowed to lead a free and unmolested life and fashion it in accord with their national and cultural principles.”
Estonians place tremendous importance on religious, racial, cultural, ethnic tolerance. That is why the Estonian Central Council in Canada is concerned that casual remarks of a serious nature be specific and accurate. Our community members insist that Estonians get equal time on Studio 2 to clarify certain points at issue. May we discuss this with you?
On behalf of the Estonian Central Council in Canada
Sincerely,
Avo Kittask, President