Jews in WWII Finland - an unlikely history
Ariel Nadbornik, Helsinki / Finland
Language: English
Session: Imagine:You are a Jew living in Finland during WWII. Your country is at war with the Soviet Union. You join the Finnish army, ?ghting alongside Finland’s German allies… Hear the little-known story of the Jews who served in the Finnish army, ?ghting alongside German soldiers against the Soviet invaders. Despite an alliance with Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union, the Finnish army protected their Jewish compatriots from German harassment in the field and in the barracks.
Ariel Nadbornik will present personal testimonials of Finnish Jewish soldiers through selected clips from the documentary David: Stories of Honour and Shame, and will continue the discussion exploring the current state of Jewish life in Finland - if time allows.
Bio:
Upon graduating University, Ariel went to work as an analyst at the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, researching and analyzing global terrorist threats. In 2008 Ariel started working for JDC's resource development division, and in 2011, he became JDC's representative to Lithuania, responsible for overseeing and developing JDC’s operations in the country.
Today, Ariel serves as the Head of Resource Development at The Jewish Community of Helsinki, developing and fostering links with donors and supporters of the small but vibrant Jewish community.
Ariel holds a Master's Degree in Government from the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, Israel, and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Islamic & Middle East Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Ariel currently lives in Helsinki.