11 Facts About Uku Masing

Uku Masing was a significant figure in Estonian religious philosophy.

Uku Masing was awarded the Righteous Among The Nations by Yad Vashem and the Israeli Supreme Court for his participation during the Holocaust in helping a Jew in Estonia escape capture from 1941 until the end of the war.

Uku Masing's actions exposed him to great danger during this period requiring him to meet with his friend as well as lying to the Gestapo.

Uku Masing was born in Lipa village, Raikkula Parish, Rapla County, on 11 August 1909 as Hugo Albert Uku Masing.

Uku Masing had one sibling, a younger sister named Agnes Masing born in 1911.

Uku Masing started to study theology at the University of Tartu in 1926.

At his peak Uku Masing was able to speak around 65 languages with the ability to translate from 20 of them.

Uku Masing was known for his ability to translate straight from original Hebrew, occidental European and oriental languages into Estonian.

Uku Masing was known for his anti-German sentiment, which was the core of what at times was his general dislike of the Indo-European people.

Uku Masing lectured at the University of Tartu in Estonia, where he was known as a brilliant teacher of theology and Semitic languages, if somewhat eccentric.

Uku Masing knew the Jewish folklorist, narrative researcher and theologian Isidor Levin from his teaching days, and decided to hide him from the Germans who most certainly would have brought him to death.