The research project Antisemitism Undermining Democracy, that is funded by the Kone Foundation with additional funding from the Polin Institute, has a new publication Jewish Life in Finland: History, Tradition and Change (Springer, 2026). The book is edited by Mercédesz Czimbalmos and Dóra Pataricza.

The project “Antisemitism Undermining Democracy,” or colloquially referred to as “Debunking Antisemitism” aims to initiate novel research on antisemitism in Finland, by studying several manifestations of the phenomena from an interdisciplinary angle. The main goal of the project is to provide a nuanced picture of how antisemitism is developing in Finland. The research implemented in this project accounts for online antisemitism (Antisemitism 2.0), perceived antisemitism (Antisemitism Experienced) and real-life antisemitic incidents (Antisemitism Performed). The results of the research will deepen the understanding of systems of oppression, not limited to antisemitism and racism and will shed light on how systems of oppression are interconnected.

Citatation from the Springer’s website:

This book offers new ways of conceiving religious and cultural practices, as well as Jewish identities in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It brings together scholars from a number of fields, transcending the frontiers of Jewish studies. The volume tackles questions about how Jewish life, identities, and religious practices have been transformed amid various changes and challenges in Finnish society, and further considers the experiences of local Jewry through an interdisciplinary prism. Covering a wide range of subjects, the book examines how the customs, practices, and identities of Jews living in Finland have evolved amid cultural, religious, and economic transformations shaped by intercultural and interreligious encounters, recent historical events, gender, migration, and other contemporary influences. It also addresses the challenges of antisemitism in its traditional and contemporary forms and examines its effect on Jewish religious lives in contemporary Finland. This book is a must for scholars looking to deepen their understanding of Nordic Jewry.

Table of contents:

A Brief History of Finnish Jewry
André Swanström and Laura Ekholm

Doing Jewish in Finland Today
Ruth Illman and Elina Vuola

“The World Stands on Three Things”: The Activities of Finnish
Jewish Organizations
Simo Muir and Dóra Pataricza

Finnish Jewish Women: Identity, Tradition, and Change
Elina Vuola and Ruth Illman

“…Judaism Somehow Interested Me and Felt Right…”: Perceptions
of Conversion, Practices, and Belonging Among Converts
to Judaism in Finland
Mercédesz Czimbalmos

Multilingual Realities in Finland: From a Traditional
Yiddish-Speaking Ashkenazi Community Towards Linguistic
Diversity
Simo Muir and Riikka Tuori

The Last Stronghold? Chevra Kadisha and Burial Practices
in the Jewish Community of Helsinki
Mercédesz Czimbalmos, Dóra Pataricza, and Daniel Weintraub

Jews in Finland and Minority Rights: Two Case Studies
Mercédesz Czimbalmos and Laura Ekholm

Manifestations and Origins of Historical and Contemporary
Antisemitism in Finland
Mercédesz Czimbalmos, Dóra Pataricza, and André Swanström

Jewish Studies in Finland
Pekka Lindqvist

More information on the publication can be found here.