Chancellor Spoke With Religious Representatives About Antisemitism

ORF (Austrian Public Broadcasting), May 14, 2024

German original: https://religion.orf.at/stories/3224996/

Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) invited religious representatives to a round table on Tuesday to discuss current issues. The effects of the Middle East conflict and the increasing number of antisemitic attacks were also discussed.

All participants agreed that the churches and religious communities in Austria will continue to work towards peaceful and safe religious coexistence, the Chancellery announced. The tenor of the meeting was that all believers, especially Jews in Austria, must be able to practice their faith without fear, celebrate masses and events together and wear religious symbols in public.

“Preventing extremism and terror”

“We must do everything we can together to prevent extremism and terror. Religion must not be misused by extremist ideologies - we stand firmly against this,” the Chancellor was quoted as saying in a press release.

In addition to Nehammer and Culture Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP), the Roman Catholic Archbishop Franz Lackner, the Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Michael Chalupka, the Christian Orthodox Metropolitan Arsenios Kardamakis, President Ümit Vural of the Islamic Religious Community and the President of the Jewish Community of Vienna, Oskar Deutsch, took part in the meeting. A central topic was also the intensification of interfaith cooperation.

Van der Bellen: Not every criticism of Israel is antisemitism

Austria's Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen explained with regard to the Middle East conflict that not every criticism of the Israeli government can be identified as anti-Semitism. “I think the Israeli government makes it too easy for itself in some cases,” said the head of state on Ö1-Mittagsjournal. At the same time, he warned of burgeoning anti-Semitism in Europe. In Austria, efforts are being made to “nip this in the bud”.

“It really is a serious problem,” said Van der Bellen about the anti-Semitic protests across Europe, some of which have been registered worldwide since the terrorist massacre by the radical Islamic Hamas on October 7 and Israel's military response to it.

red, ORF.at/Agencies