Simo Muir

Simo Muir serves as a Project Researcher in the Department of Theology and Study of Religions at Åbo Akademi University's Faculty of Human and Social Sciences. His work centers on Jewish communities in Finland and the Nordic region, with specialized focus on Orthodox Judaism's historical development and sociological dimensions.

His research spans Jewish Orthodoxy, rabbinic authority structures, and religious establishment dynamics across Western Europe and Lithuania. Key interests include historiographical analysis of Shoah impacts, Modern Orthodox identity formation, and Lithuanian Jewish heritage within Nordic contexts. His methodology integrates religious studies with historical sociology to examine community boundaries and tradition preservation.

Recent publications analyze Finnish Jewish identity frameworks and Orthodox rabbinic lineages, revealing how local customs ('minhag') interact with transnational religious networks. His work demonstrates interdisciplinary approaches connecting theology, history, and cultural anthropology to map evolving Jewish practices in contemporary Finland.

Muir co-led the 'Minhag Finland' project (2018-2022) funded by Waldemar von Frenckell’s Foundation, The Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation, and the Inez and Julius Polin Institute. He organized the 2021 conference 'Contemporary Jewry in the Nordic Countries' and presented on Finnish Jewish Orthodoxy origins at international forums.

He collaborates extensively with R. Illman (Principal Investigator), M. Czimbalmos, D. Pataricza, and R. Tuori through the 'Minhag Finland' research network, focusing on Nordic Jewish communities' structural and cultural dynamics.