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Irish Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
The Baltics are rapidly becoming a cauldron of EU growth when other parts of Europe are stagnating
It's not every day you find yourself in the Orthodox church where Alexander Pushkin 's great-grandfather was baptised. There is something calming about these dark, ornate and often windowless churches. The great-grandfather of Pushkin – the man whom many regard as the epitome of Slavic genius – was from central Africa (modern day Cameroon), a fact that adds to Pushkin's image as a romantic outsider. His great-grandfather, captured as a child by the Ottomans and gifted to the Russian emperor, rose to the position of general in Peter the Great's all-conquering army and was baptised in an Orthodox church in the centre of Vilnius, Lithuania 's very Catholic capital city. As befits a country at the crossroads of Europe, through which Napoleon, Charles X of Sweden, Hitler's Wehrmacht and, of course, Stalin's Red Army trampled, Vilnius is a city of ghosts. Before the second World War, it was known as the Jerusalem of the North, home to 60,000 Jews, of whom fewer than 2,000 survived. Today it is the bustling capital of Lithuania, a country that was once the largest state in Europe when it was the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. Those halcyon days are evident in the baroque, rococo and the later neoclassical architecture beloved of the Imperial Russians. After all, if you name your top man the Tsar, a Russified version of Caesar, it's not surprising that you'd have a weakness for Roman columns. The Russians were in Lithuania for a long time and, but for a brief period of independence from 1920 to 1941 and Nazi occupation during the war, the Russification of Lithuania continued uninterrupted from 1790 until independence in 1990. Hence Pushkin senior being baptised in Vilnius, where Orthodox churches are common and, for the older generation brought up in the Soviet Union, Russian is the default language. Somehow the Lithuanian language survived; today it is thriving. Yet Russia's presence is palpable, and with the invasion of Ukraine the sense of insecurity is heightened – as it is all throughout the three Baltic Republics of Lithuania and its two northern neighbours, Latvia and Estonia . READ MORE These three small maritime countries face the sea and have been connected with western Europe for centuries. In contrast, Russia is a land power. The Hanseatic influence, tied to Lubeck, Hamburg, London and Amsterdam by the Baltic and North Seas, give the Baltic Republics their Scandinavian feel, not to mention their Catholic and Protestant religion, which distinguishes them from the Orthodox Russians. Economically, these three countries are by far the most successful of post-Soviet Republics, anchoring themselves politically, commercially and militarily to the West, via the EU and Nato . I've yet to meet a person here who doesn't see Nato as a positive. The average person appears to see Nato as an necessary insurance policy, a shield from Russian aggression that the invasion of Ukraine evidenced so dramatically. There is little sympathy for the Kremlin, even or maybe particularly in Latvia which has the largest ethnic Russian minority of the three republics. The war in Ukraine makes their orientation to the West appear – to those I have spoken to at least – all the more logical. What does this shift to western Europe mean for this region economically? There seems to be a different attitude to tech, as I observed on an airBaltic flight between Riga and Vilnius this week: Elon Musk 's Starlink internet was free to all throughout the flight. If there is a technological solution, the Baltics use it and Musk's Starlink is an obvious network. Their view is that if it is good enough for the military, it is good enough for their citizens. Over the past two decades, the standout success of the Baltics has been this embracing of technological possibilities, leading to the creation and fostering of tech companies. Ireland has become home to a significant Baltic diaspora since the early 2000s. These neighbours are not from some backward former Soviet region, but from one of the most dynamic parts of modern Europe Since the founding of Skype in Estonia nearly 20 years ago, the Baltics have been punching far above their weight in tech and entrepreneurship. Dubbed the Silicon Valley of Europe , Estonia now has 10 tech unicorns (including Wise, Bolt, Pipedrive, Playtech, Zego, Veriff and others) in a nation of just 1.3 million . Estonia alone has the highest per capita concentration of billion-dollar tech companies in Europe (and among the highest in the world). Latvia and Lithuania are also nurturing big start-ups. Latvia produced its first unicorn, Printful (print-on-demand ecommerce), in 2021, and has other notable start-ups like airBaltic (an innovation-oriented airline) and fintech platforms. Lithuania, as well as being home to the banking multinational disrupter Revolut, is now home to two unicorns: Vinted (Europe's largest online used-fashion marketplace) and Nord Security (creator of NordVPN). Vilnius has become a fintech hub (hosting the EU's second-largest fintech cluster) and a centre for laser technology and life sciences. [ ECB cuts interest rates by quarter percentage point Opens in new window ] Estonia leads Europe in startups per capita, with 1,100 per million people (4–5 times the European average), and Baltic tech founders are celebrated for their global impact. The World Bank and the OECD often cite the Baltics as models for digital innovation and ease of doing business. As of 2023, ICT contributes around 6 per cent of Estonia's GDP, up from 3 per cent in 2012, and about 7 per cent of its workforce are ICT professionals, the highest share in the EU. Latvia and Lithuania follow close behind and well above the EU average. Around half of all private R&D in Estonia and Latvia is tech-related. As a percentage of European population, the Baltics should have about 1 per cent of EU tech unicorn start-ups; instead they have 12 per cent. Meanwhile, Lithuania leads the EU in the number of fintech licences issued and has thriving tech parks in Vilnius and Kaunas. Lithuania's ICT sector grew 50 per cent in employment over the past decade. They are not only deploying tech to create new companies, the way the government does business here is quite seamless because of mass digitalisation. The problems caused by one Irish hospital not having the medical details of a patient who is being treated in another Irish hospital would never happen here; the entire public sector is paperless. Every government computer speaks to every other one, and to your own laptop. The result of this world-leading e-governance ecosystem is that Estonians can start a company online in minutes and 99 per cent of government services are accessible from home. No queues, no forms, no 'missing in the post' appointments, because one ID card has all the information in one place. Consequently the cost of government bureaucracy has collapsed. This is the future. And yet the region is still captured by the past, most notably the threat of Moscow. [ What does the latest ECB cut mean for borrowers, savers and the broader economy? Opens in new window ] Ireland has become home to a significant Baltic diaspora since the early 2000s, with people from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania now making up roughly 1 per cent of the population (based on the 2022 census and a population of 5.15 million). These neighbours are not from some backward former Soviet region, but from one of the most dynamic parts of modern Europe, the Baltic Sea, home to Poland, Europe's most vibrant large economy, Finland and of course Sweden, as well as the industrial north of Germany. Ireland should learn to use the skills, networks and languages of our new residents to cement relations with this part of the world because this is rapidly becoming a cauldron of EU growth at a time when other parts of Europe are stagnating.
National Post
7 days ago
- General
- National Post
Iddo Moed: False narratives about Israel have violent consequences
I am the ambassador of a country that was built by unexpected leaders. Article content Article content The founders of the State of Israel were not aristocrats or members of a wealthy elite. They were refugees and immigrants — men and women who arrived with little more than determination and hope. They fled violence, persecution, and antisemitism from every corner of the world: pogroms in Europe and Asia, attacks by mobs and ultimately expulsion from Arab lands, and the unthinkable horrors of the Holocaust. Article content Article content While Jews have had a continuous presence in the Holy Land for millennia, modern Israel was forged in the crucible of exile and survival. Today, Israel is a thriving liberal democracy with a diverse and multicultural society, a dynamic economy, and a strong defence force. Article content Article content We are proud of these achievements. But we have never forgotten an important lesson from Jewish history: false narratives, when left unchallenged, have violent consequences. Article content One need not look far to understand why this lesson is so deeply ingrained in our psyche. Theodor Herzl, the father of modern political Zionism, was moved by what he witnessed during the infamous Dreyfus Affair in late 19th-century France. A Jewish army officer, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, was falsely accused and convicted of treason. The campaign against him was led by the virulently antisemitic press — particularly La Libre Parole, which pushed a dangerous narrative: that Jews were inherently disloyal. Article content Given our history, we are highly attuned to the moments these falsehoods begin to surface. That's why, when I woke up Sunday morning to headlines from nearly every major Canadian media outlet — except National Post — about an alleged incident at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid hub in Rafah, I was immediately concerned. Article content This war has shown us, time and again, how Hamas manipulates facts on the ground, creating stories of atrocities that either didn't happen or happened in a very different way. The media often amplifies these claims uncritically, and by the time the truth emerges, the damage is done. Article content The most egregious example came just weeks after the October 7 massacre. The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry claimed an Israeli airstrike had killed hundreds at Al-Ahli Hospital. Israel immediately launched an investigation — but the media didn't wait. The story exploded across front pages and screens around the world. Article content By the time the investigation revealed that the explosion was caused by a Palestinian rocket, which was confirmed by the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, millions were misled. Worse, some politicians — including Canada's own foreign affairs minister at the time — rushed to condemn Israel before the facts were known.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Remembering the history of the Gold Rush Jewish pioneers in Northern California
On this Jewish History Month, Fox40 looks back at the Jewish History in Northern California. ( — Hundreds of thousands of immigrants descended upon Northern California during the height of the 1848 Gold Rush, and among them were thousands of Jewish pioneers. It's a history that's often forgotten, and the Commission for the Preservation of Pioneer Jewish Cemeteries and Landmarks in the West works to keep it alive. 'This is not only our history as Jews in California, but it is the history of California itself,' Freda Urling, a board member of the Preservation of Pioneer Jewish Cemeteries and Landmarks in the West, said. 'Historically, ancient Jews were lenders because we couldn't own land and we couldn't own businesses, but here in California, there wasn't prejudice.' Many of the Jewish pioneers were miners, and others came to establish businesses catering to miners. This includes Mr. Levi Strauss, who developed jeans as durable wear for miners. Rite Aid Thrifty Ice Cream brand faces closure amid bankruptcy To preserve a cemetery is to preserve history itself, and this group is preserving the history of Jewish cemeteries in Placerville, Sonora, Grass Valley, Nevada City, Jackson, Mokelumne Hill, and Marysville. 'If there's one thing that Jews know, it's death, and we have many rituals that surround it,' Urling adds. 'It's important for our people to be buried in consecrated ground blessed by a Rabbi and maintained, so for us it is a Mitzvah.' The Commission is currently working to repair the graves of the Katzenstein family at the Marysville Hebrew Cemetery. Cammie Brodie is the three-times-great-granddaughter of Eugene and Marie Katzenstein, who were born in Haguenau, France, and eventually made their way to Marysville in 1852. San Joaquin County DA secured guilty plea for sex crime with firearm 'They were all very industrious individuals and very connected to the community,' Brodie said. 'Eugene opened up a restaurant and hotel in Marysville.' Jedidiah Watson is a sixth-generation descendant of Jewish Gold Rush pioneers. His family immigrated from what was once the Province of Posen in Prussia—now modern-day Poland—following the 1848 failed revolution. 'There were jobs that they couldn't have, there was property that they couldn't own, and so they were part of the revolution,' Watson said. 'And when the revolution failed, they were to blame– it was the blood libel of the 1850s, so a lot of them saw the Americas as a way to get a fresh start.' In Northern California, they became valued members of society. His three-times-great-grandfather, Benjamin Nathan, owned over 50 different mines in Grass Valley, and the greater family also owned several businesses. 'One thing that my grandfather instilled in us was not just the pride of being Jewish, but also the pride of the Gold Rush,' he adds. Fellow board member Francis Coats echoes the importance of preserving this rich history in today's political climate and growing Antisemitism. 'I think current history indicates it's terribly important to have a cultural and historic memory,' Coats adds. You can read more about the Jewish pioneers in the California Gold Rush here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
29-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Baroness Warsi compares British Islamophobia to antisemitism in 1930s Europe
Baroness Warsi has drawn a stark comparison between rising Islamophobia in Britain and the treatment of Jewish communities in 1930s Europe, warning that 'deeply dangerous' narratives are being fuelled by those in power. Speaking at the Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, the former Conservative cabinet minister said she was 'heartbroken' by the way Muslim communities are increasingly portrayed in public discourse. 'It doesn't matter how many times you serve and how many times you do what you do for our country,' she said, in conversation with the British-Israeli journalist Rachel Shabi. 'You still don't belong. You still don't matter. You still can't be trusted.' Warsi, who served as co-chairwoman of the Conservative Party and sits in the House of Lords, reflected on her experience growing up as a working-class, second-generation Pakistani Muslim in West Yorkshire. She described a recent conversation with her husband in which she questioned whether they should begin preparing 'exit routes'. 'I turned to him and I said, are we going to be like those Jewish families in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, who were always sitting back, looking at the writing on the wall and thinking, 'No, we're going to be all right. We're very successful. We live in the right part of town. We're part of the establishment…' And then it will be too late. Should we be doing what everybody else around us seems to be doing right now, which is putting in place plan Bs and exit routes?' Discussing her new book Muslims Don't Matter, Warsi said there was a 'bizarre correlation with skin pigment and gratefulness' in British society. 'It's like the darker you get, the more grateful you have to be to live in your own country,' she said. She argued that negative perceptions of Muslim communities were not emerging organically but were being driven by political and media elites. 'The good news is, this is not bottom up,' she said. 'This is not ordinary people sat there thinking, 'Oh, I really have an issue with Muslims, and I'm now going to have quite hateful views about them.' This is people in power and people with big platforms constantly telling us, 'We can't trust Muslims. They're all dangerous, they're violent, the men are sexually predatory, the women are traditionally submissive.'' 'It's these tropes which we're constantly being told about Muslim communities, which, in the end, poisons the public discourse to a point where we start seeing this community in the worst possible light.' She added that some on the far-right had been 'desperate' for a recent attack in Liverpool to have been carried out by a Muslim. 'They could then say, 'Aha! Told you so.' And already the language was: we are at war. This is a divided nation. These are different people from a different culture – until we worked out that he was a white guy in his fifties.' Despite warning that the current political climate is 'deeply dangerous', with more global conflicts now than at any point since the Second World War, Warsi ended her appearance with a call for solidarity. 'This is a fight for all of us, the kind of country that we want to be,' she said. 'It's time for us to organise and it's time for us to fight back, because all of our rights in the end will suffer.'
The Sun
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
People are only just realising where Häagen-Dazs' name came from, and it's NOT because of its ‘Danish heritage'
PEOPLE are being left shocked after discovering the meaning behind the ice cream brand Häagen-Dazs. If you have ever assumed that it was named after its founders or that it is a Swedish, German or Danish phrase you are mistaken. 3 Häagen-Dazs was launched in the US by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Reuben and Rose Mattus in the 1960s. And it turns out that the distinctive name was completely made up and doesn't have any true meaning at all. Reuben created the name himself and wanted it to sound European. He even invented a meaning behind the phrase, claiming it stands for 'the best'. However, the back story behind the invented phrase is poignant. Reuben and Rose are both Jewish-Polish immigrants and decided to come up with a Danish-inspired moniker in tribute to Denmark's protection of its Jewish population during the Second World War. According to Tablet Magazine, Reuben - who died in 1994 - shared: 'The only country which saved the Jews during World War II was Denmark, so I put together a totally fictitious Danish name and had it registered. 'Häagen-Dazs doesn't mean anything. [But] it would attract attention, especially with the umlaut.' He added that he also wanted a name that would stand out in the American market and that people would 'take a second look' at the label and wonder if it was imported. Reuben shared: 'If you're the same like everybody else, you're lost. You can now buy Biscoff inspired Haagen-Dazs ice creams 'The number one thing was to get a foreign-sounding name.' As well as choosing a Danish-sounding name, Reuben also included a map of Denmark on the early Häagen-Dazs labels. Reuben's daughter Doris Hurley recalled in a PBS documentary called An Ice Cream Show in 1996 how her dad sat round the kitchen table coming up with jibberish names for the brand. He eventually settled on Häagen-Dazs due to it sounding 'unique' and 'original.' 3 Many Häagen-Dazs fans have admitted they are surprised upon finding out the name had been completely made up. One said: 'I always assumed it was a combination of two German last names. Weird.' Another added: 'I always assumed it was German because of the umlaut.' However, one person pointed out: ''As a Swedish person the name has always bothered me because it doesn't make sense verbally (or grammatically) to put an A after an Ä like that.' Five secret branding messages you may have missed LOTS of brands have secret messages on their logos - so which ones have you spotted? Amazon Most people either have Amazon Prime and/or regularly order from the site, so are used to seeing the logo. But have you ever noticed the little arrow underneath the word Amazon? It starts at the 'A' and finishes at the 'Z' - showing that they sell everything from A to Z! Toblerone It caused a stir a few years ago when people realised the Toblerone logo - which they'd thought was a mountain - is actually the image of a bear. The reason for this is that a bear is the official symbol of the Swiss town of Bern, the original home of Toblerone. Ray-Ban The brand is arguably one of the most famous sunglasses companies in the world. But have you ever spotted the sunglasses image in the logo? If you look carefully at the letter 'B' in Ray-Ban and tilt your head to the side, you will see it looks like a pair of sunnies. Hyundai You'd be forgiven for thinking the 'H' logo for Hyundai is just meant to be a jazzy letter. In fact, if you look again, you might see that the vertical lines of the H are actually meant to show two people shaking hands - a salesperson and a satisfied customer. Apple Again, one of the most familiar logos in the world. But why does Apple's apple logo have a bite taken out of it? Apparently, it's down to the fact that when the logo is made smaller, they didn't want it to look like a cherry. So having the bite taken out of it means it is always identifiable as an apple.
