Government Increases Funding for Jewish Life From 2024 Onwards

K.at - July 25, 2023

German original: https://k.at/news/foerderung-fuer-juedisches-leben-wird-erhoeht/402534682

The government is increasing annual funding for Jewish life to seven million euros from 2024.

"The best means in the fight against anti-Semitism is to promote and make visible Jewish life," Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) told the Summer Council of Ministers on Tuesday.

Promoting and ensuring a safe and self-determined Jewish life

The basis is the Law on Safeguarding the Austrian Jewish Cultural Heritage (ÖJKG), which is part of the National Strategy against Anti-Semitism and provides annual funding for the Israelite Religious Society in the amount of four million euros since 2020. According to the government, the goal is to promote and ensure a safe and self-determined Jewish life in Austria and broad access for the population to the Jewish cultural heritage. The grants are intended to directly benefit the Jewish community and support, among other things, measures in the areas of security, preservation and maintenance of cultural heritage, and maintenance of Jewish community life.

After three years, an evaluation was planned, and according to the government, this recommended an increase in the funding amount. As part of the upcoming amendment, the annual funding for Austrian-Jewish cultural heritage is therefore to be increased to seven million euros.

Fight against anti-Semitism

Anti-Semitism is unfortunately still on the rise, the Constitutional Minister noted before the start of the government session. Nevertheless, Edtstadler described Austria as a "pioneer" in the fight against anti-Semitism. Now a "further milestone" is being set to safeguard and promote Jewish life.

Jews, like all other citizens, must feel safe here and be able to move freely, Edtstadler emphasized, "Jews should have unconditional security". Jewish life was "an essential part of Austria's history", it was "part of our historical responsibility to ensure visibility and security". If Jews come under pressure, "our Western values and our democracies are under pressure - and we have to take countermeasures," the minister stressed.

"The adoption of the Austrian-Jewish Cultural Heritage Act is a milestone of this government for a positive relationship of the Republic of Austria with the Jewish community," Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) stressed in a press release. "We are strengthening Jewish culture and Jewish life in Austria."

IRG President Oskar Deutsch expressed his delight in a statement to APA: "With this law, the Republic expresses its appreciation for Jewish life in Austria. The increase is a recognition of the work of the Jewish Communities and secures these activities for the future in the interest of the Republic."

The law is to go into a four-week review period following the Council of Ministers' decision. Edtstadler then hopes for a unanimous decision in parliament.

Jewish Museum Traces Fan Culture in Soccer

K.at, July 11, 2023

German original: https://k.at/news/juedisches-museum-spuert-der-fankultur-im-fussball-nach/402518899

Jewish soccer culture. Who doesn't first think of the club Hakoah when they hear this term, which still shapes the public image today? However, the new show "Superjuden" (Super Jews) at the Jewish Museum Vienna, which starts on Wednesday, traces the fan cultures of five clubs - along with the ambivalences that go with them - shows that Jewish soccer history goes much further. "That's exactly why we made this exhibition," Director Barbara Staudinger emphasized on Tuesday.

It is about Jewish history in the stadium, but primarily not told on the basis of individual proponents, but as a cultural phenomenon. Thus, a whole catalog of questions unfolds around the round leather, in which cultural appropriation or the affirmative reinterpretation of abusive terms is dealt with. Ultimately, the basic question hovers over everything: What is Jewish?

The show, whose exhibition architecture is reminiscent of the shape of a fan curve, starts with the two Viennese clubs Vienna and Austria Wien, both of which have Jewish aspects in their history, but have dealt with them differently over a long period of time. Vienna, for example, was financially supported by Nathaniel Mayer Freiherr von Rothschild when it was founded and had numerous Jewish functionaries in its ranks - a fact that fan collectives such as "Partisan*Rothschild" self-confidently take up as the founding myth of their club.

Austria, which is often pejoratively dubbed the "Jewish club" by opponents, was somewhat more ambivalent for a long time, as it was considered a club of the assimilated Jewish bourgeoisie when it was founded and had Jewish officials such as president Emanuel Schwarz, who had returned from exile, and club secretary Norbert Lopper. At the same time, eye-watering fan formations such as the "Tempel Boys" are also juxtaposed with right-wing groups.

In addition to paying tribute to the local greats, "Superjuden" also takes a look beyond the country's borders and has singled out three central clubs of the international soccer circus, first and foremost Ajax Amsterdam. Their ultra-faction "Superjoden", i.e. "Super Jews", also provided the title of the exhibition. This title is used to illustrate how the real or presumed Jewish history of one's own club is integrated into fan culture. After all, Ajax's reputation as a Jewish club comes mainly from the fact that the club's first stadium was located in a Jewish neighborhood.

In the hooligan-affine 1970s, the largely non-Jewish members of the violent ultra-group "F-Side" then called themselves "Superjoden" in order to stand up to the fans of other teams. To this day, the Star of David and the Israel flag are used to show their identity, which is, as it were, an assumed identity that ultimately falls under the concept of cultural appropriation.

The situation is not dissimilar for the English first division club Tottenham Hotspur, which, like Ajax, had its stadium in a Jewish quarter. The hallmarking as a "Jewish club" ultimately led to ultra formations today resorting to self-definition as "Yids" or "Yiddos" and appropriating the previously pejoratively used Yiddish term "Yid" for themselves. Whether a non-Jewish fan group should call itself the "Yid Army" and thus contribute to the reproduction of stereotypes, however, is the subject of heated debate time and again.

The view of FC Bayern München closes the soccer circle. Before 1933, the club had ten percent Jewish members, and to this day it is the ultra-group "Schickeria München" that upholds the memory of the former club president Hans Landauer, who was forced to resign in 1933 but was reinstated after the war. Today, Bayern Munich has a large fan base in Israel with its own fan clubs such as "Bayern Israel". And so, at the end of this show about soccer identities and fan cultures, the old German Chancellor's wisdom ultimately applies: "It's all very complicated."

(S E R V I C E - "Super Jews. Jewish Identities in Football Stadiums," curated by Agnes Meisinger and Barbara Staudinger, from July 12 to January 14, 2024, at the Jewish Museum Vienna, Dorotheergasse 11, 1010 Vienna. Open Sunday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. www.jmw.at/ausstellungen/superjuden)

Jewish History and Fan Culture: A Visit to the "Super Jews

Der Standard, July 11, 2023

German original: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000178481/juedische-geschichte-in-de-fankulturbesuch-bei-den-superjuden

A special exhibition at the Jewish Museum Vienna deals with Jewish identity in the soccer stadium. The selected examples provide surprising insights into fan culture.

After almost a quarter of a century at Tottenham Hotspur, moving to FC Bayern in Munich would certainly be a big change for Harry Kane. However, the club from the north of London and the German record champion have one thing in common that might not even have caught the eye of the English team captain, for whom Bayern is said to have recently offered 80 million euros.

In addition to the Viennese clubs Vienna and Austria Wien and the Dutch record champion Ajax Amsterdam, the exhibition Superjuden - Jüdische Identität im Fußballstadion (Super Jews - Jewish Identity in Football Stadiums), which opened on Tuesday evening at the Jewish Museum Vienna, is also devoted to aspects of the past and present of Spurs and Bayern. In three rooms on the Beletage of Palais Eskeles, the curators, director Barbara Staudinger and Agnes Meisinger of the Institute of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna, trace the Jewish history of these five clubs. Jewish officials, coaches and players of the clubs are recalled, but the focus of the exhibition is even more on fan culture - for director Staudinger the "be-all and end-all of soccer. This is also expressed in the exhibition architecture by Robert Rüf, which is reminiscent of fan stands.

SC Hakoah, whose epochal victory at West Ham United (5-0) will mark its centenary in September and which won the first professional championship in Austria in 1925, is largely left out of the exhibition. After all, Jewish soccer history is not the story of just one club, says Staudinger. The aim is to tell lesser-known stories, for example of the few women who played a role in this context. In addition to Paul Meissner's well-known painting Das Wunderteam, a portrait painting by Ella Zirner-Zwieback also adorns the first exhibition room. With the financial support of the department store owner and fashion designer, the Women's Soccer Union was founded in 1936, a league that brought two championship seasons (two titles for DFC Austria) under President Zwieback before the National Socialists banned women's soccer.

Vienna and Austria

Room two of the exhibition is dedicated to Vienna and Austria. Above all, fans of the Döblinger proudly point to the founding of Austria's first soccer club in 1894 thanks to significant support from Nathaniel Mayer Freiherr von Rothschild, to whom the club also owes its colors - blue and yellow. The memory of Jewish officials is kept alive, especially by fan collectives such as "Partisan*Rothschild".

Austria, often derogatorily dubbed the "Jewish Club," has only recently devoted attention to its history. At the time of its founding, it was considered a club of the assimilated Jewish bourgeoisie. Jewish officials such as President Emanuel Schwarz and club secretary Norbert Lopper were responsible for the Violets' heyday. The fact that there are also right-wing groups among the fans was only perceived as a problem by the club itself rather late.

Bayern, Ajax and Tottenham

FC Bayern, like Vienna - the club with the most fan clubs in the world, albeit on a different scale - upholds its Jewish past and also markets it successfully. For example, by means of fan articles dedicated to the legendary club president Hans Landauer.

A fan group of the Dutch record champion Ajax Amsterdam provided the exhibition with its title. The "Superjoden," or "Super Jews," a group of ultra fans that is also quite violent, was used to illustrate how Jewish history is integrated into the fan culture of a soccer club. Ajax's reputation as a Jewish club is based primarily on the fact that its first stadium, Het Houten, was located in a Jewish neighborhood.

The situation is no different at Tottenham. The hallmarking as a "Jewish club" ultimately led to ultra formations of the Londoners resorting to the self-definition as "Yids" or "Yiddos" and thus appropriating a pejoratively used Yiddish term for themselves - not to the undivided delight of the club and the Jewish community. (Sigi Lützow, 11.7.2023)

Commitment Against Oblivion: Award for Martha Keil

Kurier, July 6, 2023
German original: https://kurier.at/chronik/niederoesterreich/sankt-poelten/einsatz-gegen-das-vergessen-auszeichnung-fuer-martha-keil/402512458

Keil heads the Institute for Austrian Jewish History in St. Pölten. She has now received an award for her commitment.

It is an important anniversary that is now being celebrated in St. Pölten. For 35 years, the Institute for Jewish History of Austria (Injoest) has had a permanent place in the provincial capital. Martha Keil has been closely associated with the Institute since its founding. First as a staff member, meanwhile in a leading position.

The Injoest is also a place of remembrance. "We know of about 1,000 people in and around St. Pölten who were persecuted between 1938 and 1945 because of their origins and beliefs," says Mayor Matthias Stadler.

On the occasion of the anniversary and due to her valuable research activities and many initiatives, Keil has now been awarded the town hall pin.

Renovation of the Former Synagogue in St. Pölten is on Schedule

Niederoesterreichische Nachrichten

German original: https://www.noen.at/st-poelten/kulturjahr-2024-renovierung-der-ehemaligen-synagoge-in-st-poelten-ist-im-zeitplan-373943698

At the end of the year, the renovation and adaptation of the former synagogue should be completed as planned. During a tour of the construction site, the managing director of NÖ Museum Betriebs GmbH Matthias Pacher emphasized: "We are on schedule and on budget."

By 2024, the former synagogue will shine in new splendor. A modern center for exhibitions, cultural events and history education is to be built there. The renovation came at just the right time for the roof. "It was really point 12 here. It was necessary to do something on the roof now," explains architect Wolfgang Pfoser. So the roof was covered with new sheet metal sheets. The former synagogue is already scaffolded, now the facade work is to follow. Heating will be provided by district heating in the future. The building is being optimized for this purpose. "New building components and changes to the old building will be thermally upgraded, and the insulation of the attic will also be carried out according to technical standards," says Pfoser.

The entire infrastructure has already been renewed. The shell of the bridge on the south side is also already visible. In the future, the former synagogue will be accessible barrier-free via a ramp from the promenade. There will be an elevator to reach the gallery and the Kantorhaus, the synagogue's annex. There, rooms will be created for the Injoest and the mediation activities. Together, the National Fund of the Republic of Austria, the Federal Office for the Protection of Monuments, the Province of Lower Austria and the City of St. Pölten are raising 4.6 million euros to make this Art Nouveau jewel by Theodor Schreier and Viktor Postelberg from 1913 open to the public. The opening is planned for April 18, 2024.

Former synagogue as cornerstone of the 2024 Year of Culture in St. Pölten

"In Lower Austria, we want to protect Jewish life, make history visible and culture tangible. We achieve this with numerous projects and art in public spaces, if we think of the memorials in Baden and in the Jewish cemetery in Krems or the planned Jewish campus in Sooß Castle. And we are also making an important contribution to this in particular with the renovation of the former synagogue in St. Pölten," says Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner. The former synagogue is to be an important part of the 2024 Year of Culture in St. Pölten. Mayor Matthias Stadler also sees the renovation of the building as an "explicit invitation to Jews to discover St. Pölten as a city worth living in, to enjoy culture here and to live".

Scientific director Martha Keil is also pleased with the progress of construction. She explains: "With the renovation and adaptation, not only necessary structural measures for the sustainable preservation of this Art Nouveau jewel are being taken, but also measures for a functional and contemporary mediation of history and event culture. With the programming of this new cultural center, we will bring close not only Jewish life destroyed in the Shoah, but also contemporary Jewish culture." Until the reopening, she invites visitors to view the current exhibit at the construction site fence.

Jewish-Christian Dialogue: Theology Wants to Learn from Debate in USA

Kathpress, June 26, 2023

German original: https://www.katholisch.at/aktuelles/144414/juedisch-christlicher-dialog-theologie-will-von-debatte-in-usa-lernen

Salzburg theologian Hoff and theologian Höftberger take positive stock of conference in Boston - Hoff: Jewish-Christian dialogue in German-speaking countries often too theologically focused - Concept of "intersectionality" helps to broaden view of diversity of experiences of discrimination.

The Salzburg theologian Gregor Maria Hoff and the Salzburg theologian Elisabeth Höftberger have drawn a positive balance of the annual conference of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ), which recently ended in Boston/USA. They were impressed not only by the "global internationality of the Jewish-Christian dialogue" and the palpable trust, but also by the political-theological dimension, especially in intercultural contexts, Hoff and Höftberger told Kathpress in a statement.

Identity is not a one-dimensional category that can be reduced only to questions of religion or worldview. Rather, it is a matter of opening up a space, especially in interreligious dialogue, for life stories that are often also marked by experiences of discrimination and persecution, according to Höftberger: "Experiences of faith, identities, discrimination and persecution because of anti-Semitic or racist ideologies - all these are sensitive topics for which a space for exchange is needed." The thesis or category of "intersectionality," i.e., the conviction that forms of discrimination such as racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, religious persecution, etc. are not separate phenomena, but may well overlap biographically and lead to new, independent experiences of discrimination, is promising in this respect.

Elisabeth Höftberger summarized: "The concept of intersectionality is helpful to recognize that someone is not only devalued because of one aspect, but because of several. While in the U.S. the category 'race' is central and takes the view back to the terrible history of slavery, the participants agreed that in a European context the category of 'ethnicity' is a stronger reason for discrimination. So it also became clear in the final discussion that our particular context is like a lens through which we interpret social processes."

Hoff and Höftberger were joined at the Boston meeting by Willy Weisz, vice president of the Coordinating Committee for Christian-Jewish Cooperation. He and Höftberger pointed out that, in addition to opening spaces of encounter, a new practice of a culture of listening was an important impulse that came from the meeting and that needed to be implemented in European Jewish-Christian dialogue. "In order to bring people who are in great opposition to each other into conversation, it is first necessary to listen carefully. To be heard is a great gift," Höftberger said.

The ICCJ meeting was entitled "Negotiating Multiple Identities: Implications for Interreligious Relations." Next year the meeting will take place in Salzburg. It is organized, among others, by the ICCJ in cooperation with the Coordinating Committee for Christian-Jewish Cooperation (Austria/Vienna) and the Faculty of Theology of the University of Salzburg.

Seelisberg Prize to German historian

During the conference, among other awards, the "Seelisberg Prize" was presented for special services to Jewish-Christian dialogue. The German expert on Jewish history and theologian, Prof. Joseph Sievers, was honored. The ICCJ has been awarding the prize, which is endowed with 10,000 euros, since last year together with the Center for Intercultural Theology and Study of Religions (ZTKR) at the University of Salzburg.

The aim of the prize is to put role models of interreligious dialogue in the spotlight and "give them a face," says Hoff, who is responsible, among other things, for the large "Research Program Jewish Christian Dialogue" located at the ZTKR, which sponsored the prize and also brings the prize winners to the University of Salzburg as "Research Fellows."

Jewish Museum focuses on Maria Austria

Kurier, June 20, 2023

German original: https://k.at/news/juedisches-museum-nimmt-maria-austria-in-den-blick/402492842

The Jewish Museum is doing to Maria Austria what she herself did throughout her life: focusing on the photographer. With the first solo exhibition of the photo artist's work under the imperative title "Focus! Now!" pays tribute to the Austrian-born photographer, who rose to stardom in her Dutch exile. With a comprehensive personal exhibition of her multifaceted works, a pedestal is being built for the photographer who bore her homeland in her name.

After all, the later Maria Austria was born Marie Oestreicher in 1915 in Karlsbad into a Jewish family of doctors. In Vienna she attended the Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt and tried out the styles of her time, which is documented with early works in the show. Then in 1937, and thus before the Anschluss, she went to Amsterdam, as did her sister Lisbeth, a textile designer. The two founded the studio "Model en Foto Austria" in the Dutch canal city. It was only here, in exile, that Marie Oestereicher took the artist's name Maria Austria.

But even in her adopted country, Maria Austria was not safe from National Socialism. In 1943, the photo artist was forced to go into hiding, and from there she became involved in the resistance. The end of the war also brought a new beginning for Austria, as she founded the Particam photo agency with colleagues, including her partner Henk Jonker. And Maria Austria became a documentarian of the immediate post-war period.

In the years that followed, the artist found her true expression, which, however, was never limited to just one genre. Street scenes are as much a part of her oeuvre as portraits of artists or theater works. In 1954, she documented Anne Frank's hiding place with the photo series "Het Achterhuis" and later visited the Salzburg Festival. In the 1960s she documented Israel and its inhabitants and at the same time became the house photographer of the avant-garde Mickery Theater. Until her ultimately surprisingly early death in 1975, Maria Austria thus proved to be one of the outstanding camera eyes of her generation, as "Focus! Now!" proves.

Tony Awards in New York: "Leopoldstadt" as Best Drama

Kurier, June 12, 2023

German original: https://kurier.at/kultur/tony-awards-in-new-york-verliehen-leopoldstadt-als-bestes-drama/402482225

Story of a Jewish family in Vienna awarded best play.

"Well, well, well... welcome to the 76th Annual Tony Awards": with these words, US actress Ariana DeBose greeted her audience at New York's United Palace on Sunday night (local time) and then quickly got to the point. "We don't have a script, folks - I'm live and unscripted!" The TV broadcast of the most important musical and theater awards in the U.S. had previously been on the line because the writers' union "Writers Guild of America" is currently on strike.

In the end, there was a compromise: the organizers committed not to use scripted texts on stage. Two teleprompters in the hall only showed a countdown to stay on schedule during the acceptance speeches. There was singing and dancing anyway; supportive words from some of the award winners for the union's demands were also heard.

The drama "Leopoldstadt," which tells the story of a Jewish family in Vienna through several generations, won the award for best play. Born in 1937, author Tom Stoppard (see article image) fled Nazi Germany as a young child with his family from what was then Czechoslovakia and came to Britain, where he largely shed his Jewish identity, unaware of how many family members were killed in the Holocaust.

In Vienna, the play was shown at the Theater in der Josefstadt. Here is the KURIER review:

Historian Porat: "Don't think statues should be torn down"

Der Standard, June 10, 2023
German original: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000173677/historikerin-porat-lueger-denkmal-finde-nicht-dass-statuen-abgerissen-werden-sollten

Israeli historian Dina Porat has been studying anti-Semitism for decades. In Vienna, she told how she would deal with Karl Lueger's legacy.

On the occasion of its 125th anniversary, the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) 2023 also looks back on the dark chapters of its past. At an event earlier this week, research results on members of the Hochschule für Welthandel, the predecessor institution of the University of Economics and Business Administration, who were expelled by the National Socialists were presented.

The awarding of honorary doctorates to individuals close to the Nazis was also examined in an extensive research project, and now a revocation has been announced: Walther Kastner (1902-1994), a longtime director of the Austrian Control Bank for Industry and Trade, was instrumental in the systematic "Aryanization" of Jewish businesses. WU revoked his award on Monday.

The fact that anti-Semitism was virulent in Austria long before 1938 was the topic of Israeli historian Dina Porat's lecture. The long-time chief historian of the Israeli memorial Yad Vashem spoke about Jewish life in Vienna from the end of the 19th century until 1938, a life between social acceptance and rejection. In an interview with the STANDARD, she pleaded for contextualizing problematic pasts without covering traces.

STANDARD: Ms. Porat, you have been researching Jewish life in Vienna in the decades before Nazi rule. How widespread was anti-Semitism in the imperial city at the beginning of the 20th century?

Porat: I have the impression that there was a kind of division in Viennese society from the end of the 19th century until the Anschluss. There were intellectual and cultural circles in which Jews were very prominently represented. They were a small minority in the population, but in intellectual life, in art and in science, they played leading roles and were recognized. At the same time, however, anti-Semitism grew as a reaction to the emancipation of the Jews.

STANDARD: In 1867, Emperor Franz Joseph had signed the Basic Law of the State, which meant legal equality for Jews after centuries of persecution and discrimination. Did that spur anti-Semitism?

Name: When Jews began to claim their civil rights and increasingly participate in society, to be involved, there was a backlash. Suddenly it was said: They're everywhere and taking over everything. On top of that came Karl Lueger ...

STANDARD: ... the mayor of Vienna from 1897 to 1910, who played politics with anti-Semitism.

Porat: Lueger was an avowed racist and anti-Semite who openly agitated against Jews. This went down well with parts of the population; as is well known, it also made a big impression on Hitler. He mentioned Lueger in Mein Kampf and said that he was a role model for him in terms of ideology and rhetoric. But Lueger also influenced someone else, in an entirely different way.

STANDARD: Who do you mean?

Porat: Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism. Herzl also lived in Vienna, and when Lueger was elected mayor, that was a sign for Herzl that the situation for Jews in Austria-Hungary was not stable. He wrote in his diary that the emancipation and civil rights of Jews in the Danube Monarchy were not secure and therefore another solution was needed. Lueger's success in Vienna thus had very different effects.

STANDARD: Lueger and his legacy continue to preoccupy Vienna to this day. His monument stands on the square named after him in the first district - for years there has been a dispute about how to deal with it. Just last week, the city announced that the controversial Lueger statue would be tilted 3.5 degrees to the right as part of an artistic contextualization. For some, that's not enough; they're calling for the square to be removed and renamed. In your view, what is the right way to deal with historically charged names and monuments?

Porat: I have thought a lot about this question. But I think you can't erase history and culture. I don't think statues should be torn down, I'm in favor of contextualization. A plaque that everyone can see, that explains everything: this is Karl Lueger, former mayor of Vienna, who propagated racist and anti-Semitic ideas. By the way, I see it the same way in art, in music. There, too, we encounter anti-Semitism in many facets.

STANDARD: How can anti-Semitism be contextualized in pieces of music?

Porat: Think, for example, of Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion. It's great music, wonderful, but the text is tinged with Christian anti-Semitism. Should that no longer be performed? Of course not. But do you know what the Israeli Philharmonic does when they play the St. Matthew Passion? When they get to the worst passage, they stop playing briefly, it's quiet for half a minute, and then they go on.

STANDARD: Your lecture on the acceptance and rejection of Jews in early 20th century Vienna also deals with the writer and salonnière Berta Zuckerkandl. What fascinates you about her person?

Porat: Berta Zuckerkandl ran a Viennese salon until 1938, interrupted by the First World War. It was the salon par excellence, everyone was there - even though she only served tea. It was a cultural center; Auguste Rodin and Gustav Klimt met in Berta's salon, and the later Alma Mahler-Werfel met Gustav Mahler there. Berta was also a talented writer and a respected journalist. She also helped Austria enormously after World War I.

STANDARD: How so?

Porat: Berta had a sister, Sophie, and she married a brother of the French prime minister, Georges Clemenceau. When the war was over, Austria was in ruins: The monarchy had fallen, there was no more foreign investment, there was a lack of everything. The victorious powers were not ready to support Austria. In this situation, Austrian politicians approached Berta and asked her to use her contacts in France. She did: she wrote to Clemenceau, with whom she was closely connected. And he actually changed his attitude.

STANDARD: Then it became dangerous for Berta Zuckerkandl as a Jew in her hometown.

Porat: Despite everything she had done for Austria, she had to leave her Vienna in 1938. No one helped her here. She fled with the help of a French friend, but had to leave behind her large house full of works of art. The Nazis came two days later. There were paintings by Klimt in her Vienna house, but she died penniless. Klimt, by the way, painted Berta's cousin Amalie, the picture hangs today in the Vienna Belvedere. It was not restituted. (David Rennert, 10.6.2023)

What is a Sabich - and how does it taste?

Der Standard, June 5, 2023

German original: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000172876/was-ist-ein-sabich-und-wie-schmeckt-es

Actually a Sabbath breakfast, today a popular take-away dish, at least in Israel: We found a very good Sabich sandwich in Vienna in an underpass underpass.

Sabich, which is served in the same bread as falafel pita, is little known in this country. Israeli street food is traditionally filled with fried melanzani, lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, tahini sauce, sometimes hummus, but almost always with amba, a hot and sour mango sauce, and s'chug, a green sauce made from chili, garlic and coriander. In no case should you forget the boiled eggs. That's because the ingredients of a sabich are derived from the Sabbath breakfast of Iraqi Jews.

According to the story, sabich as a street food, which is offered all over Israel today, has only existed since 1961, when Sabich Tsvi Halab, a Jewish refugee from Iraq, opened a small restaurant in the Tel Aviv district of Ramat Gan and sold sabich as a sandwich.

Today, the family of the street food pioneer still runs a Sabich store near the original location. In Vienna, you can get sabich at Taïm am Schottentor, a small Israeli snack bar in the subway underpass in the direction of U2. The deep-fried melanzani are quite filling, and falafel is also available as an alternative. But that's the subject of another video. (RONDO, Kevin Recher, 5.6.2023)

Horten Auction: Christie's to Donate to Jewish Organizations

Die Presse, May 23, 2023

German original: https://www.diepresse.com/6291175/horten-auktion-christies-will-an-juedische-organisationen-spenden

The auction house is said to have offered large sums of money to Jewish organizations following massive criticism of Heidi Horten's jewelry auction.

There is no end to the criticism surrounding the auction of the jewelry of Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten, who died in 2022, which yielded an interim result of 186 million euros. According to the "Kronen Zeitung" (Tuesday edition), the auction house Christie's, which came under fire because of the controversy surrounding the Nazi past of the German entrepreneur Helmut Horten, husband of Heidi Horten, has made high money offers, citing the "Jerusalem Post".

Christie's confirmed on Tuesday on request that these offers have gone to organizations that contribute significantly to research and education on the Holocaust. However, as the Jerusalem Post reported, the Israeli Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem and another Jewish organization have rejected the offers. As before, the auction of the pieces from Horten's jewelry collection is sparking fierce criticism. "Christie's must postpone this auction until full clarification is obtained on this connection to Nazi-era acquisitions," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, deputy director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, for example.

Helmut Horten was a member of the NSDAP

According to a historian's report published in January 2022 and commissioned by the Horten Foundation, Heidi Horten's husband Helmut was a member of the NSDAP for a long time. In 1936, three years after the Nazis seized power, he took over the Alsberg textile department store in Duisburg at the age of 27 after its Jewish owners had fled. He later took over other stores that had previously been owned by Jewish owners. He was therefore accused of having profited from the "Aryanization" of Jewish businesses during the Nazi era.

According to the historian's report by Peter Hoeres, Horten reached an agreement on reparations with the Jewish previous owners of the Alsberg textile department store after the end of the war. A department store in Wattenscheid was returned to the original owners. In the case of a business takeover in Königsberg, on the other hand, according to the analysis, Horten probably resisted reparations under civil law because he knew that there were no enforceable legal claims against him.

The opinion states that a "certain ambivalence" has emerged. Horten have sought out-of-court settlements. "The settlements reached can be considered fair and beneficial to the former previous owners, although in the case of Duisburg the financial means could only be a weak consolation for the injustice suffered."

According to the expert report, Horten's thinking had not been "determined by Nazi ideology," yet he had enjoyed a "certain esteem from the Nazi authorities." His company in Duisburg was used as a distribution company, and Horten had been efficient at it. According to a statement from the denazification proceedings, Horten was briefly imprisoned in 1944. He was expelled from the NSDAP that year. The reason, according to the report, was quarrels with Nazi officials and suspicion of improper distribution of goods. "Overall, it is evident in all cases that business always came before politics. If the political framework accommodated his business activities, Horten apparently did not question them either and used his advantage," the report said.

(APA)

Hitler speech on Railjet: ÖBB boss condemns incident

Kurier, May 16, 2023

German original: https://kurier.at/chronik/oesterreich/hitler-oebb-zug-matthae-israelitische-kultusgemeinde/402451743

ÖBB board is "aware that incident causes disturbance in Jewish community". Two "railway-savvy" youths as suspects.

After excerpts of a Hitler speech were played on an ÖBB rai-jet on Sunday evening, ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä addressed the president of the Jewish Community Vienna (IKG), Oskar Deutsch, in a letter obtained by APA on Tuesday.

"I am personally deeply shocked by this incident and have immediately arranged for internal investigations to be started," Matthä wrote.

The incident was also the subject of a video published by ÖBB on Twitter. It says that there is room for all people on the trains. "But there is no room for anti-Semitism, xenophobia, hatred and exclusion," it continues.

ÖBB CEO Matthä said he was aware that the incident on the Railjet was causing "disturbance in the Jewish community" and casting a "bad light on the railroad and the country". "Anti-Semitism and hatred have no place at ÖBB - neither on the train nor anywhere else," Matthä assured. He added that the railroad would do everything possible to clarify the case and implement measures to avert such incidents in the future. Deutsch invited the ÖBB board to the IKG in response to the letter.

Two youths suspected

According to Matthä, the suspects are two youths who had already attracted the attention of ÖBB for trespassing on railroad facilities or trains or for wearing ÖBB uniforms. It is assumed that the suspects "have very good knowledge of operational procedures and also technical equipment due to their 'railroad affinity'." They have already been contacted by the police and summoned for questioning as suspects, the exact time of questioning is not known to him, writes the ÖBB boss. Investigations are underway for re-activation under the Prohibition Act and disruptive behavior as well as unauthorized entry into certain areas of railroad facilities.

The incident happened on a Railjet that was traveling from Bregenz to Vienna. On the train, excerpts from a historical recording of a Hitler speech could be heard. This was followed by several shouts of "Sieg Heil". According to the railroad, the recordings were made directly on the train via the intercoms. ÖBB is aware of a total of three cases in which the loudspeakers were "hijacked." The first two incidents occurred in the previous week, always on the route between St. Pölten and Vienna, an ÖBB spokesman told APA.

Youth Book Tip: Insight into the Jewish Orthodox World

Die Presse, May 5, 2023

Hoodie's parents are strictly religious, he himself prefers not to know the rules too well. Isaac Blum's book tells a lot about life. And also about terror.

Young people don't have too much patience. In terms of reading, that means the first sentence of a book has to draw them in. Publishers know that, so there's no time for gimmicks, weather or the like. And this is especially true for books for which a glossary is offered for download. Well, the first sentence of "The Glory and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen" delivers, anyway: "Later I tried to explain to Rabbi Moritz what was ironic about the fact that I had saved the whole community by my horrible crime, of all things."

Too much drama? No, not at all. The book about the Jewish-Orthodox hoodie who falls in love and into whose life anti-Semitic terror then blows up is really funny at first. For instance, when the teenager reflects on his Orthodox Jewish life of rules. Or when he encounters modernity in the person of a sassy, non-Jewish girl (who is also the daughter of the mayor). One gets a glimpse into a world that probably often seems completely absurd to young readers. And soon suspect that Hoodie's "horrible crime" may not be so horrible in our terms. By then, though, the story has developed its pull. And the glossary? Not only explains words like kosher, gefilte fish or kippa. But also the mourning period Schiv'a, Kofer ba-ikar as a term for apostates and also Cherem - the ban that excludes someone from the Jewish religious community. These are the words that Hoodie uses.

Literature reference

Ruhm und Verbrechen des Hoodie Rosen

Isaac Blum, from the American by Gundula Schiffer. Beltz & Gelberg, Weinheim 2019. 224 pages, 15.50 euros. Ages 14 and up.

Politicians open to Shoah center

ORF, January 31, 2023

German original: https://wien.orf.at/stories/3192730/

Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) is open to the establishment of a Shoah Center in Vienna. The president of the Jewish Community (IKG) Vienna, Oskar Deutsch, has also advocated for such a memorial in Austria.

At the presentation of the second implementation report of the National Strategy against Anti-Semitism, Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) said she was "ready to talk." Oskar Deutsch justified the need for a Shoah Center in Vienna by pointing out that there are fewer and fewer contemporary witnesses. He got the idea during a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles, where Holocaust survivors interact with younger visitors via holograms.

"Yes, there are fewer and fewer contemporary witnesses," Edtstadler also said. Therefore, she said, one must also think about how to set up alternative forms of commemoration in the future. There have not yet been any concrete talks on the proposal from the IKG. Deutsch has just been re-elected president of the IKG Vienna by the board of trustees and wants to devote more time to this project during his current term of office, as he had emphasized just recently at a Holocaust memorial.

Reported anti-Semitic incidents on the decline

The occasion for Edtstadler's appearance together with Deutsch as president of the Jewish Community of Vienna was the second progress report on the National Strategy against Anti-Semitism at the Federal Chancellery. It was true that the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents had recently fallen by a third, which the minister described as gratifying. However, she does not see “a reason to sit back and relax.” Especially among young people, there has been an increase.

With its national strategy, Austria is a pioneer and a driving force in Europe, the Minister emphasized once again, and Deutsch also confirmed this. In the meantime, 15 EU countries have followed this example, Edtstadler said. In Austria, 26 of the 38 planned measures have been fully implemented, and all the others are in progress. As examples, she cited the Austrian-Jewish Cultural Heritage Act as well as measures in the area of training for security authorities, the judiciary, the armed forces and in the field of integration.

Fierce debate about exhibition at the Jewish Museum

ORF, February 2, 2023

German original: https://religion.orf.at/stories/3217486/

The director of the Jewish Museum Vienna, Barbara Staudinger, is facing sharp criticism in connection with the exhibition "100 Misconceptions About and Among Jews," which has been running since November. Now Jewish supporters are coming forward.

According to the "Kurier", Oskar Deutsch, President of the Jewish Community (IKG) Vienna, criticized the exhibit as partly problematic. Middle East expert Ben Segenreich and publicist Paul Lendvai are also among those who have criticized the exhibit. Staudinger has now received support from nine Holocaust survivors, the Standard reported Thursday (online edition).

They addressed a letter to IKG President Deutsch as well as Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) and the museum's supervisory board. Although one could be divided about the exhibition, they were "appalled" "when the director is defamed as an anti-Semite, the exhibition is even partly moved into the vicinity of ‘reengagement in National Socialist activities’ (nationalsozialistische Wiederbetätigung) or some accuse her of not being Jewish."

Criticism yes, character assassination no

Criticism is important, but "nothing justifies character assassination and agitation! Tolerance and respect are needed," "Der Standard" further quoted from the letter. The IKG was asked to "no longer remain silent, but to bring the discussion back to a factual level."

The letter was signed by Robert Schindel, Timothy and Franziska Smolka, Zwi Bar-David, Gerda Frey, Helga Feldner-Busztin, Peter Munik, Siegfried Loewe and Angelica Bäumer.

Director Staudinger herself had recently announced in interviews that she would be adding "another textual level of context" to the exhibition in the coming weeks. "100 Misunderstandings About and Among Jews" is on view at the Jewish Museum in Dorotheergasse until June 4.

Who Will Remember the Holocaust in the Future?

Die Presse, January 27, 2023

German original: https://www.diepresse.com/6243448/wer-erinnert-sich-kuenftig-noch-an-den-holocaust

by Katrin Nussmayr

The era of contemporary witnesses is slowly coming to an end. This not only affects the culture of remembrance, but also research: some questions can only be asked today.

If Anne Frank were still alive, she would be 93 years old today. When she died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, she was fifteen. There are hardly any Holocaust survivors left who experienced the horror of the Nazi era as adults. Those who today - also on the occasion of the International Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday - can tell a young generation about their memories, were mostly children themselves at that time. And they, too, are becoming fewer and fewer: the era of contemporary witnesses is coming to an end.

For historian Heidemarie Uhl, who studies the culture of memory and the politics of history, this end has two dimensions: On the one hand, moral authorities would also disappear with the contemporary witnesses - and their attitudes to certain places. At liberation ceremonies of concentration camps, for example, we could still hear the perspective of those who experienced these camps. "If these people are no longer there, who will speak? Politicians, artists? It won't be the same." Second, he said, we will soon have to rely on what remains: countless interviews on video and audio recordings. But new questions can then no longer be asked. However, "every generation has new questions for history."

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Michaela Raggam-Blesch, who is researching at the Institute of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna on how so-called mixed marriage families were able to survive during the Nazi era - a topic that has not been dealt with academically for a long time. She has conducted more than 60 interviews with contemporary witnesses in her career. "I realize more and more what a great privilege this is. For younger female colleagues, it's not so easy anymore."

Controversial Show at the Jewish Museum: If not Here in Vienna, Then Where?

Der Standard, January 27, 2023

German original: https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000142956910/umstrittene-schau-im-juedischen-museum-wenn-nicht-hier-in-wien

The exhibition "100 Misunderstandings About and Among Jews" looks controversial topics straight in the eye. No topic is taboo. Bruno Kreisky would have been pleased with it

by David N. Myers

In guest commentary, U.S. historian David N. Myers defends the current exhibition at the Jewish Museum Vienna. He says it offers a "range of perspectives combined with a healthy dose of chutzpah."

On a recent visit to Vienna for a conference sponsored by the Kreisky Forum, I had the opportunity to see the thought-provoking exhibition 100 Misconceptions About and Among Jews at the Jewish Museum Vienna. I had to wonder what Bruno Kreisky would have thought of this exhibition. After all, he himself was a walking embodiment of misunderstandings, defying stereotypes. A Vienna-born Jew who fled the city after the Anschluss and returned. A man who became the head of government of the country that expelled him. A Jew of the generation for whom Zionism and support of Israel were natural, but who distinguished himself by his advocacy of the Palestinian cause.

As someone who defied stereotypes himself, Kreisky would have enjoyed the exhibition. 100 installations challenge the view of Jews - as uniformly smart, frail, staunch supporters of Israel or marked by a tragic past. In fact, Jews make up only 0.2 percent of the world's population. They represent a remarkably diverse group of individuals in terms of their religious, cultural, and political sensibilities. The only stereotype that could be incontestably true is the expression, "two Jews, three opinions."

Debunking Stereotypes

At the same time, Kreisky may have been surprised by parts of the 100 Misunderstandings. A work that aims to highlight misunderstandings and debunk stereotypes is, by definition, troubling. After all, it is the job of art to take us out of our comfort zone and force us to question our own prejudices. This applies equally to Jews and non-Jews, by the way, because as the exhibition shows, misconceptions about Jews are fabricated by non-Jews as well as Jews.

"If viewers are uncomfortable or shocked, the exhibit works as it should."

The exhibition looks controversial issues straight in the eye. The most harrowing of the exhibits for me was Australian artist Jane Korman's remarkable 2010 video titled Dancing Auschwitz. It shows her, her father (a Holocaust survivor), and their three children dancing to Gloria Gaynor's disco hit I Will Survive at sites of Nazi genocide. When I first saw this video, I was shocked. It breaks through the view that Auschwitz is sacred and exposes its cruel profanity in a most comical way. At the same time, the image of the multi-generational Jewish family dancing in Auschwitz conveyed for me, as a Jew, a sincere sense of triumph over the murderous hubris of the Nazis. To be honest, this is a work of art that can only work because it was produced by Jews. Only members of an in-group have the license to engage in such satire and humorous approach, and outsiders do not, all the more so in the case of the Holocaust.

Crossing Borders

Dancing Auschwitz is transgressive; so are many of the other exhibits. If viewers are uncomfortable or shocked, the exhibit works as it should. At its core is the distinctly human impulse to achieve some measure of normalcy, something that Jews were denied throughout their long history, particularly during World War II.

In a broader range of images, 100 Misunderstandings reflects the impulse to place Jews on a pedestal as objects of anthropological fascination. No subject is off-limits. Is this spirit of iconoclasm too transgressive for a sober and correct Vienna that wants to venerate Jews as part of its postwar penance? Most likely, yes.

Other Vienna

But there is another Vienna. It is important to remember that cultural iconoclasm and innovation are native to Jewish Vienna. There is the well-known list of Jewish innovators of the late 19th and 20th centuries, including Mahler, Schoenberg, Schnitzler, and of course Freud. Vienna was also home to the wickedly satirical Karl Kraus and his magazine Die Fackel, which spared no topic.

100 Misunderstandings recalls the tradition of iconoclasm and innovation for which Vienna was once famous. The exhibition has stirred controversy by featuring both challenging images and dissenting Jewish opinions. But it is this range of perspectives, combined with a healthy dose of chutzpah, that captures Jews as they live, in their manifold diversity, rather than in one-dimensional, monochromatic and idealized form, as they often appear to us in death. Vienna is a fitting and necessary setting for this bold exploration of the myth and reality of the Jew. If not here, then where? (David N. Myers, 1/27/2023)

David N. Myers is Distinguished Professor and holds the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA in Los Angeles. He is the author of numerous books in the field of Jewish history, including most recently (with Nomi M. Stolzenberg) "American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, a Hasidic Village in Upstate New York" (Princeton University Press, 2022).

Vaccination and Zyklon B

Der Standard, January 26, 2023 (Opinion)

German original: https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000142916743/impfen-und-zyklon-b

In Salzburg, an anti-vaccination activist was acquitted of trivializing Nazism

by Hans Rauscher

A jury in Salzburg has now acquitted a man who had diligently participated in the Corona denier - propaganda and - according to the indictment - trivialized the Holocaust. The jury did not consider the following actions of the 40-year-old occupational therapist to be a violation of the Nazi Prohibition Act:

The defendant, who also campaigned for the anti-vaccination party MFG, held a patch in the shape of a Jewish star with "unvaccinated" in front of the camera. With this, according to the indictment, he equated the opponents of vaccination with the persecuted Jews. He also posted a portrait of Adolf Hitler on Telegram with the caption, "Hitler never killed anyone himself. They were all just people doing their job." To this, one posted: "Read Leuchter's report: Hitler and the Nazis did not own gas chambers. Zyklon B was used for disinfection."

That sort of thing clearly falls under denial of Nazi crimes for anyone familiar with history - and for any expert witness in previous trials. Yet the defendant did not remove the verbatims and also posted the question of fact deniers of all kinds: "One may not question the mainstream?"

One may, the jury found. The verdict is final. For the time being, one can only note how conspicuously often Corona “blabbering,” conspiracy theories and Nazi trivialization appear in the same brains. (Hans Rauscher, 26.1.2023)

New Center for Research on Anti-Semitism

ORF, January 26, 2023

German original: https://science.orf.at/stories/3217343/

Stars of David at anti-COVID demonstrations, ideas of secret world elites and disproportionate criticism of Israel: anti-Semitism changes its form, but its content remains the same. A new center of excellence at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) is to research hatred of Jews, especially in the present day.

"Anti-Semitism is articulated differently today than in the past, because history never repeats itself one-to-one, but puts on different costumes, so to speak," ÖAW President Heinz Faßmann told science.ORF.at at the presentation of the new research center.

Not a historical phenomenon

The occasion is tomorrow's Holocaust Memorial Day. It commemorates January 27, 1945, the day on which soldiers of the Red Army liberated the Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz. Six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis. However, anti-Semitism is anything but a mere historical phenomenon; it is still widespread.

In 2020, a study commissioned by Parliament investigated the prevalence of anti-Semitic attitudes in Austria. 28 percent of respondents considered the statement "A powerful elite (e.g. Soros, Rothschild, Zuckerberg ...) is using the Corona pandemic to further expand its wealth and political influence" to be very or rather true. This year, updated figures on this are to be published. The Academy intends to participate in the study in the future and, if necessary, conduct it itself - every two years, changes in attitudes will then be compared.

Stocktaking and networking

Participation in the study is one of four focal points to which the new "Center of Excellence" will devote itself. First and foremost is a stocktaking: Under the direction of contemporary historian Helga Embacher from the University of Salzburg, an overview of the state of anti-Semitism research is to be compiled.

Holocaust Remembrance Day: Music for the Memory of the Human

Kronen Zeitung, January 26, 2023

German original: https://www.krone.at/2913329

It is a venture: since November, a young ensemble has been rehearsing the difficult "Quartet for the End of Time" by Olivier Messiaen. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is celebrated on Friday, they face the audience at an unusual performance venue.

Friday, January 27, is International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holocaust, as the Nazi genocide of European Jews during World War II is known.

A Special Piece in a Special Place

In the heart of Linz, namely in the hall of St. Barbara Cemetery, a very special ensemble is performing to mark the occasion: Four students from Linz's Stifter Gymnasium have joined forces; they are between 17 and 19 years old and are all musicians. Together, they are venturing into the exceptional piece "Quartet for the End of Time" by Olivier Messiaen. "The work touches us so much," says Stephan Deinhammer, the pianist.

"Memory is important to us"

Why exactly is this work fitting for Holocaust Remembrance Day: "When Messiaen composed it, he was an inmate in a POW camp. The work is a bridge to something deeply human. And the liberation of Auschwitz was the return of the human."

Deinhammer performs with Leonhard Gaigg (clarinet), Klara Brunnhofer (violin) and Feline Gröpler (cello). The young ensemble's goal for their concert at the Barbara Cemetery: "We want to create a space for remembrance with this music."