Jewish News From Austria #21

Dear Readers,

Administrator — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:38:58 +0000

In Austria, the past few months have been marked by events in observance of the Kristallnacht seventy years ago, which saw the destruction of synagogues and the ransacking of thousands of Jewish businesses and homes and marked the beginning of the Holocaust, the NS terror regime and the murdering of thousands of Austrian Jews. We present a number of articles on the numerous events that marked the remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust.

Furthermore, we are happy to provide you with a broad range of articles that were published in the Austrian media on such topics as the 15th Anniversary of the Jewish Museum Vienna, the recent inauguration of Austria’s largest Jewish school, on cultural events, symposia and recent publications, on restitution-related topics and on Federal President Fischer’s and Foreign Minister Spindelegger's recent visit to Israel.

Finally, we want to remind all readers of Jewish News from Austria that you can find actual news items, information on events, publications as well as useful links on a regular basis on our new website: www.jewishnews.at
I wish you Happy Hanukkah!
Yours sincerely,

Wolfgang Renezeder
Director
Austrian Press and Information Service
www.austria.org

Index

Administrator — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:38:17 +0000

Current Events, Symposia and Cultural News
• Parliament commemorates November pogroms 70 years ago (Austrian Federal Chancellery)
• Vienna: Council of Europe and Holocaust Task Force will cooperate (Austrian Federal Chancellery)
• Year of Commemoration Focusing on November Pogrom in the Graz City Museum (Austrian Press Agency)
• Vienna‘s Jewish Museum Elated over 1.2 Million in Visitors in Fifteen Years (Austrian Press Agency)
• 15 years of Jewish Museum Vienna (Austrian Federal Chancellery)
• Austria’s Largest Jewish School (Die Presse)
• Seisenbacher’s Ambition, Hakoah’s Good Fortune (Der Standard)
• NS Crimes Against the „Inferior“ (Austrian Press Agency)
• Exhibition at Steinhof Reopened (Austrian Press Agency)
• Music from Theresienstadt Performed (Austrian Press Agency)
• First Chamber Music Festival Schloss Laudon (Austrian Press Agency)
• Involuntary Passage to Mauritius (Die Presse)
• Keep on Traveling, Away from Death (Die Presse)
• House of History Looks to U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum as Model (Die Presse)
• Remembrance of the NS Era in Film (Austrian Press Agency)
• Summer Cinema at Schloss Hartheim (Austrian Press Agency)
• Remembrance of the NS Era in Film (Austrian Press Agency)
• Summer Cinema at Schloss Hartheim (Austrian Press Agency)
• Jewish Welcome Service of Vienna (Austrian Press Agency)
• Visit of Expelled Jewish Citizens Austrian Press Agency)
• Poet with a Flash of Genius and Correspondence Artist (Der Standard)
• Vienna’s Central Cemetery is the Second Largest Graveyard in Europe (Der Standard)
• Some 330,000 graves containing three million dead (Austrian Press Agency)
• Vienna’s Faculty of Law Addresses the Impact of the Anschluss (Austrian Press Agency)
• MAK Exhibition, “Recollecting” The Journey from Plunder to Restitution MAK Catalogue, www.mak.at (Austrian Press Agency)
• RECOLLECTING” Looted Art and Resitution

Awards/Publications

• Honoring Jahoda – Prammer: Witness to Austrian History (Austrian Press Agency)
• Late homage: Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel becomes honorary citizen of Vienna (Austrian Federal Chancellery)
• Jewish people remember their Vienna in the 20th century(Austrian Federal Chancellery)
• Campaign of the City of Vienna: free copies of book by Ruth Klüger (Austrian Federal Chancellery)
• The Impossibility of Being Kafka (Der Standard)
• Becoming Edith. The Education of a Hidden Child. Edith Mayer Cord.

Restitution

• Amendment to the Art Restitution Law Being Reviewed (Austrian Press Agency)
• Dorotheum Auctions Off Restituted Amerling-Paintings from Belvedere (Austrian Press Agency)
• Jewish Community Takes Legal Action Against the Federation (Die Presse)
• Dark Figures (Profil)
• Amendment to Restitution Law to be Adopted Before Summer (Austrian Federal Chancellery)

Austrian – Israeli Relations
• Federal President Fischer pays visit to Israel and Palestinian territories (Austrian Federal Chancellery
• Heinz Fischer emphasizes joint responsibility of Austria with regard to NS-crimes (Austrian Press Agency)
• Israeli leaders meet Austrian president, discuss ties, peace talks BBC Monitoring Middle East (Jersualem Post)

Historical Portraits

• The Impossibility of Being Kafka (Der Standard)
• The Brief Life of Dr. Suess (Der Standard)

Parliament commemorates November pogroms 70 years ago

Administrator — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:37:37 +0000

Austrian Federal Chancellery (11/17/2008)

Parliament commemorates November pogroms 70 years ago

On 9 November 2008 the Austrian Parliament commemorated the November pogroms 70 years ago in a ceremony held at Palais Epstein. The events of the “Reichskristallnacht“ – the “Night of Broken Class” – on 9 November 1938 had marked the climax of a year of anti-Semitic riots. In her speech Speaker of Parliament Barbara Prammer vehemently called for an end of further debates about the abolishment of the “Prohibition Act”. “More than ever” this Act was to be considered a constitutional reaction to Austria’s role during the NS period, and as a clear no to the belittlement of the Nazi atrocities it was of a high symbolic value. “This should not and must not be called into question in Austria“, Prammer underlined.

Seventy Years November Progrom

Administrator — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:37:02 +0000

Austrian Press Agency (APA) (07/23/08)

Seventy Years November Progrom
Spindelegger. Collective Responsibility

Vienna – Austria is characterized, justifiably so, as the first victim of National Socialism. This will not change anything about the fact that we have to admit “that our people bear the responsibility for all those having taken part in that time, “ stated Spindelegger, who will participate on Sunday in a commemoration of the Vienna Jewish Community in the City temple.

Vienna: Council of Europe and Holocaust Task Force will cooperate

Administrator — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:36:18 +0000

Austrian Federal Chancellery (11/17/2008)

Vienna: Council of Europe and Holocaust Task Force will cooperate

The Council of Europe and the International Holocaust Task Force (ITF) signed a declaration of intent to team up in the combat against anti-Semitism at European level on 10 November 2008. Terry Davis, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, and Ferdinand Trauttmannsdorff, ITF Chairman, signed the agreement that is to become a model for Europe.

Winkler: "Current forms of anti-Semitism should be increasingly addressed"

Administrator — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:35:39 +0000

Austrian Ministry of European and International Affairs

Winkler: "Current forms of anti-Semitism should be increasingly addressed"
State Secretary Hans Winkler at an international round table on

Vienna, 10 November 2008 – "Anti-Semitism is still a social problem that needs to be taken seriously. It has not remained a historical phenomenon, but can, unfortunately, still be repeatedly observed today. No country is immune to revisionism, anti-Semitism and extremism," said State Secretary Hans Winkler at a high-calibre round table discussion at the Hofburg Palace on "Lessons learnt? Holocaust remembrance and combating anti-Semitism in 2008". The meeting was organised by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the International Holocaust Task Force (ITF) to mark the 70th anniversary of the anti-Semitic November pogroms.

Year of Commemoration Focusing on November Pogrom in the Graz City Museum

Administrator — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:34:23 +0000

Austrian Press Agency (APA) (07/23/08)

Year of Commemoration Focusing on November Pogrom
in the Graz City Museum

Four Exhibitions on NS Rule, Resistance and Persecution beginning September 10

Graz – On the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the November Pogrom in 1938, the Graz City Museum is focusing on a commemorative event which reflects the years of the Anschluß and the period after. The exhibition, “Un:sichtbar,” (“In:visible”), will serve as the core of the event and target NS rule, persecution and resistance in Styria.

Vienna‘s Jewish Museum Elated over 1.2 Million in Visitors in Fifteen Years

Administrator — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:32:55 +0000

Austrian Press Agency (APA) (11/17/2008)

Vienna‘s Jewish Museum Elated over 1.2 Million in Visitors in Fifteen Years

Vienna’s Jewish Museum, located in the city’s center, is currently celebrating fifteen years of existence. Since its opening by former mayor Helmut Zilk and his Jerusalem colleague, Teddy Kollek, some 1.2 million visitors have visited the museum. Director Karl Albrecht-Weinberger revealed that the museum has presented some 150 exhibitions. During the course of the anniversary week, apart from special programs, the bicycle of Theodor Herzl can be viewed on the occasion of the anniversary program, which will take place from November 18 – 23. Moreover, there will be special tours, free-of-charge, as well as an evening with Michael Heltau on November 20 who will read from the novel, “Radetzkymarch” by Joseph Roth

Fifteen years of Jewish Museum Vienna

Administrator — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:31:40 +0000

Federal Chancellery (12/01/08)

Fifteen years of Jewish Museum Vienna

The Jewish Museum situated in Vienna’s city centre is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The premises in Palais Eskeles were inaugurated on 18 November 1993 by Vienna’s recently deceased former Mayor Helmut Zilk and his counterpart from Jerusalem Teddy Kollek. In his overview of the past on 17 November 2008 Director Karl Albrecht-Weinberger stated that since the opening about 1.2 million visitors had been welcomed to 150 exhibitions.

Austria’s Largest Jewish School

Administrator — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:31:11 +0000

Die Presse (09/18/2008)

Austria’s Largest Jewish School

Opening. The Perez-Chajes School with 600 children opened their doors.

Vienna – Children are running through the halls, others are sitting in their classrooms studying while a teacher rushes by. Daily routine has settled in at the Zwi-Perez-Chajes School (ZPC) in the 2nd district, recently inaugurated by Federal President Heinz Fischer.