The Rogatchi Foundation has donated the special artwork created by its President , artist Inna Rogatchi, to the Helsinki Jewish Community in commemoration of the 120th anniversary of the Helsinki historical synagogue.
Olive Skies in Helsinki ( 2026) has been created by the artist specifically to commemorate the celebration.
Inna Rogatchi has commented on her work in one of the recently published A Vision of the Heart essay in the following way:
“ In my own oeuvre, Jewish themes are examined in their variety, from the visualisation of Jewish mysticism, artistic parallels for certain themes in the Torah and Biblical texts, to the commemoration of the ongoing echo of the Holocaust as part of our lives and world, and the different aspects of Jewish history re-created artistically today, from a current-day view and perspective.
Back in 2017, working in cooperation with the representatives of the Helsinki Jewish community, I came across original beautiful and authentic drawings for an architectural design of the facade for the Helsinki Synagogue. The drawings were authored by the Synagogue architect Johan Jacob Ahrenberg who was also a very able artist.
Those three original drawings by Ahrenberg with his ideas for the Helsinki Synagogue’s facade, dated 1905, that I saw personally, made a special impression on me. First and foremost, by their authenticity. To me, authentic works and artefacts always possess the energy of their creators and their time.
These original drawings were, in my perception, the real connection between the time when the Synagogue was conceived back in the beginning of the XX century, and now. Looking at that beautiful fine drawing that was created by an able architect and artist over a hundred years ago, it was as if I was reading his thoughts and ideas for the building which would become central for the Jewish community – not only of Helsinki, but of the whole of Finland, and for anyone who visits it.
The idea was to create some special unique image of the historical Helsinki Synagogue, the image that would become original and memorable. I remembered one of my works from Jerusalem, with its beloved and unique olive trees which are more than trees in the place like that. It is the symbol of eternity in its most vital way. A living olive, the tree which is not without reason has its footprint in the Torah and in the Biblical Jewish narrative, as the symbol of peace, durability, productivity, fertility, as the expression of a life-force in a focused and beautiful way.
The work in which I have synthesised an original footprint of the past and thriving natural moment of today also manifests a fruitful meeting of things polarly different: old time and current day, early XX century and the second part of the 2020s, the Nordic dimension of Finland and southern dimension of Israel, the crisp air of Helsinki and hot breath of air in Jerusalem, stones of the facade and live greenery of olive trees, building and air, objectivity of a standing building and subjectivity of the perception of its symbolism. It also combines the things which are synchronised in Jewish perception: the synagogue and one of the most prolific symbols in the Torah, olive trees and leaves. Coming together in one picture, making a new, original and wholesome image, all these opposites and similarly oriented symbols in a surprising and joyful way have created a calm and aesthetically new image in which a synagogue is portrayed with love, care, and thought of in the context of time and place.
These were my thoughts behind the creation of a fine art collage combining the image of the architectural idea for the Helsinki synagogue by its architect drawn over a century ago, with my image of the olive dimension of Jerusalem nowadays. Working in my own mixed technique, I finished the work with an original drawing and enhanced it over an original authored print of the collage in various mediums.
This work, Olive Skies in Helsinki, has become my personal and The Rogatchi Foundation’s gift to the Helsinki Jewish community in commemoration of the 120th anniversary of the Helsinki historical synagogue” ( 2026).
Following the request of the Helsinki Jewish community, Inna Rogatchi and The Rogatchi Foundation also have licensed the image of the special artwork to the community for the period of its anniversary year ( August 2026 – July 2027) for various ongoing charitable activities, thus further contributing to the meaningful celebration of the special date of the beautiful and historical synagogue in the heart of Helsinki. This is also the special way to maintain and assure that Jewish cultural heritage and its rich, beautiful and engaging traditions is living and flourishes today.
August 2026