Estonian Women's Épée Team Take Olympic Gold

The Estonian women's épée fencing team won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, after coming from behind to defeat South Korea in an emotional final July 27.

 

The result is the first gold medal for Estonia at the summer games since 2008. Katrina Lehis, Julia Beljajeva, Erika Kirpu and reserve member Irina Embrich, who was brought in and won the seventh match, defeated their opponents 36:32 to take top spot.

 

The Estonian team had beaten Poland in the quarter-finals and then Italy in the semi-finals.

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Published: August 01 2021

Jaak Rakfeldt, Ph.D.

 

Enel ran down the stairs to the basement, where Kristi and I were sleeping on mattresses on the floor.

 

She was out of breath, panting, but finally was able to stammer out that there was a coup d’état happening in Moscow.

She turned on the television and clicked on CNN.

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Published: July 12 2021

Three weeks have passed since President Biden’s trip to Europe and analysis among think tanks and pundits continues.

 

The Estonian American National Council (EANC) has been sorting through it to glean information most relevant to Estonia’s security and U.S.-Estonia relations, particularly regarding the outcomes of the NATO summit and Biden’s meeting with Baltic leaders on June 14th.

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Published: July 12 2021

Anne Burghardt. Photo by the Lutheran World Federation

 

The Estonian theologian, Anne Burghardt, has been elected the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation; the election marks the first woman and the first Central and Eastern European pastor to head the global communion of Lutheran churches, Estonian World writes.

“Burghardt will take over as LWF’s new general secretary at the beginning of November, succeeding Rev Dr Martin Junge who has led the communion of 148 member churches for the past eleven years.

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Published: July 12 2021

The New York Estonian family (only part of it pictured) wished Happy St. John’s Day / jaanipäev to everyone celebrating! Pictured are Kristel Lõuk, Peeter Raudsik, Siiri Lind, Kairi Künka, Jaanus Kirikmäe, Liisa Toots, Anneli Leega Piiskop, Tea Izzo, Rena Tasuja and the rest of the family. Photo taken by a random newyorker on a hot day of summer, courtesy of Jaanika Peerna.

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Published: July 12 2021

Foreign Ministry and Stanford University Sign Memorandum of Understanding

On June 30, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Stanford University signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Tallinn to advance research and study mobility between Estonia and the United States.

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Published: July 12 2021

Marika (Roop) (Redd) Nurk died peacefully after a long illness on June 1, 2021 at her home in University Park, Florida and is laid to rest at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, Illinois.

 

She was born on September 8, 1936 in Narva, Estonia to Sergei and Sabine (Mahl) Roop.

 

Her childhood was upended by the chaos and devastation of World War II.

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Published: July 12 2021

 

On June 27, the Estonian community of Cleveland Ohio gathered at the Estonian Cultural Garden for the annual commemoration of Estonia's final victory of the war of independence, June 21, 1919 and jaanipäev.  

We had a special guest, former mayor of Cleveland and eight term Congressman, Dennis Kucinich, who greeted us and reminisced about his work with the Estonian Government on security and defense issues.

 

In 2005 Ambassador Jüri Luik presented Congressman Kucinich with the Second Class Order of Terra Mariana for his support of the Baltic States.

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Published: July 02 2021