Chief Rabbi Paul Chaim Eisenberg receives Grand Decoration of Honor in Gold for the services to the Province of Vienna

Source: Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien

http://www.ikg-wien.at/?p=16639

On Monday, June 3, 2013, the governor of Vienna Michael Häupl awarded Chief Rabbi of the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien (Jewish Community Vienna) Professor Paul Chaim Eisenberg with the Grand Decoration of Honor in Gold for the services to the city of Vienna. Many officials of the city government of Vienna as well as high level representatives of the Jewish community participated in the ceremony.

Governor Michael Häupl acknowledged Chief Rabbi Eisenberg as a very humorous person, who loves to tell Jewish jokes. “Laughter is a sign of tolerance and openness,” Häupl cited Eisenberg. Over the past few years, many projects had been organized by the city of Vienna together with its Jewish citizens. Häupl emphasized that any sign of intolerance had to be opposed vehemently.

Referring to governor Häupl’s speech, Chief Rabbi Eisenberg declared that being

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"The Jewish Echo" - Hopes and Fears of the Youth

Source: Der Standard, December 18, 2012

http://derstandard.at/1355460017586/Das-Juedische-Echo-Hoffnungen-und-Aengste-der-Jugend

In the new issue, which deals with the topic of youth awakening, Zelman’s successor Marta S. Halpart shows good intuition when it comes to good stories and good authors.

Relax, hang out, meet friends, university, job and apartment - in short, find your place in this world: the hopes and fears of young people are quite similar across country and continent borders. Sometimes, however, the desires and real-life opportunities drift apart dramatically.

This is shown in the annual publication “The Jewish Echo” with smart essays, humorous reports, conclusive interviews, concise analyses and loving memories, e.g. of chief editor Leon: Leon Zelman co-founded the “The Jewish Echo” in 1951 and served as the chief editor until his death in 2007.

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Austrian Embassy Hannukkah Celebration

Ambasasador Hans Peter Manz (left) with David faber of the American Jewish Committee.

Claudia Roden: „The Book of Jewish Cuisine“

Source: Die Presse, September 13, 2012
http://diepresse.com/home/leben/ausgehen/1289932/Claudia-Roden_Das-Buch-der-Juedischen-Kueche?from=suche.intern.portal

A highly recommendable book, for which Claudia Roden collected Jewish recipes from all over the world.
„Is this about sheep testicles? “ - was one of the questions Claudia Roden was asked, when she told people about her project; a cookbook focusing on Middle East cuisine. The author told this anecdote while presenting her newest, German-language book. “The Book of Jewish Cuisine” is a very comprehensive and highly recommended book, which was published by Mandelbaum Verlag. For her latest work, Claudia Roden collected Jewish recipes from all over the world for a period of over ten years. 

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Eruv makes life easier for Jews in Vienna

Source: ORF, September 14, 1012
http://religion.orf.at/stories/2549993/

The area within the symbolic boundaries should make life a lot easier for Jews in Vienna during the Sabbath.

According to the Torah, on Sabbath, religious Jews are not allowed to move or carry anything outside their homes. It does not matter if it is a stroller or a fruit crate. However, there are exceptions to these strict Sabbath rules. The private domain can be extended to the yard and even other houses. The area must be somehow demarcated from its surroundings, either by a wall or fence of some sort and it must be used jointly. The joint use manifests itself in the form of an “Eruv”.  An Eruv is usually some sort of food – a loaf of bread for example, which is shared by all the residents. That way all residents are seen as members of one “private domain” and they are allowed to carry things within the boundaries of that Eruv. By now the Eruv is also a synonym for the area within which things are shared. The new Eruv in Vienna extends from the inner district to the Danube.

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