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Rah Finland!

Cold hands, warm hearts

by
Hadara Graubart
July 01, 2009

Apparently, Finland, besides being “one of the most pleasant and peaceful societies on the entire continent,” is a haven for Israel-lovers, reports Michael Freund. On a recent trip there, he saw “churches where the Israeli flag is proudly displayed side-by-side with the Finnish national colors, and where entire Christian congregations recite ‘Hatikva’ first in Hebrew and then in Finnish” and was bombarded by Hebrew-speaking Nordic Zionists, Jewish and non. Sounds like Finland is less ambivalent on the matter than even Israel itself—maybe that’s where we should be sending our youth if we really want to foster pride.

Hadara Graubart was formerly a writer and editor for Tablet Magazine.