2024-11-07 08:58:00
Saturday marks the 86th anniversary of the November pogroms against the Jewish population. The Israelite Cultural Community (IKG) has invited representatives of the government and the National Council to the memorial event on Friday at the Shoah Name Wall in Ostarrichipark. Freedom people are not welcome. National Council President Walter Rosenkranz (FPÖ) will lay a wreath at the memorial for the Austrian Jewish victims of the Shoah at Judenplatz.
On the night of November 9th to 10th, 1938, synagogues throughout the “German Reich” were systematically set on fire, Jewish shops were looted and Jews were mistreated. In Austria alone, at least 30 Jews were killed, 7,800 were arrested and around 4,000 from Vienna were immediately deported to the Dachau concentration camp. Since the anniversary this time falls on a Saturday and thus the Jewish day of rest Shabbat, the commemorative events will take place on November 8th this year.
Several ÖVP ministers, the second President of the National Council Peter Haubner (ÖVP) as well as civil servants minister and Green Party leader Werner Kogler will take part in the IKG event on Friday morning at the Shoah Name Wall. The managing club chairman Philip Kucher is on site for the SPÖ, and Beate Meinl-Reisinger is on site for the NEOS party leader. No invitation was sent to the FPÖ; the IKG distanced itself from the party, citing numerous anti-Semitic incidents.
The event by Rosenkranz, who, as President of the National Council, also heads the National Fund for the Victims of National Socialism, will be significantly smaller than the IKG commemoration. In addition to Rosenkranz himself, according to his spokesman, Parliamentary Director Harald Dossi and probably both managing directors of the National Fund, Hannah Lessing and Judith Pfeffer, are expected to be at the wreath-laying ceremony at Judenplatz. The second President of the National Council, Haubner, and the third President of the National Council, Doris Bures, appointed by the SPÖ, were informed about the appointment, but according to the spokesman, they were unable to attend.
According to the spokesman, representatives of the religious community should also be invited to the wreath-laying ceremony, although participation is unlikely. After all, IKG President Oskar Deutsch recently mobilized against the election of Rosenkranz with a letter to the National Council members, who is a member of the German national fraternity Libertas and, according to Deutsch, “trivialises and almost pays homage to Nazi criminals as fraternity ‘achievers’.”
This Thursday at 6:30 p.m., the Jewish youth of Vienna are inviting people to commemorate the November pogroms under the title “Light of Hope”. The memorial march, which is also intended to take a stand against anti-Semitism and hatred, starts at Heldenplatz at the entrance to the “House of History”. The final rally will take place at Judenplatz. The event should also be an appeal that remembrance is not just part of Jewish culture, but a task and responsibility of the entire civil society, the announcement said.
Willi Mernyi, ÖGB Federal Managing Director and Chairman of the Mauthausen Committee, also emphasized the need to remain vigilant in a broadcast. Years of verbal violence paved the way for mass murder, which began with the November pogroms. “Even today we are experiencing how the boundaries of what can be said are being systematically pushed back. We must not leave any room for right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism,” he emphasized. Right-wing extremists are not “concerned citizens” who need to be discussed with, but rather “a danger to our future and freedom.” “Anyone who doesn’t stand up decisively now is paving the way for the next catastrophe.” The Vienna Greens are similar: “As important as remembering the November pogrom is, decisive action against all anti-Semitism is equally necessary in the present,” said party leader Judith Pühringer. “We also see in Vienna in 2024 that the threat to Jewish life and attacks on Jewish institutions have increased.”
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**Interview with Oskar Deutsch, President of the Israelite Cultural Community (IKG)**
**Interviewer:** Thank you for joining us, Mr. Deutsch. With the 86th anniversary of the November pogroms approaching, can you tell us what this day signifies for the Jewish community today?
**Oskar Deutsch:** Thank you for having me. This day is a solemn reminder of one of the darkest chapters in history—Kristallnacht. It symbolizes the beginning of widespread violence against Jews in Germany and Austria, where synagogues were burned, and countless lives were disrupted permanently. Reflecting on this day is vital for remembrance and education to prevent similar atrocities in the future.
**Interviewer:** Your community is organizing a commemorative event this year. Can you share more details about the plans?
**Oskar Deutsch:** Yes, we will gather at the Shoah Name Wall in Ostarrichipark on November 8th, as this year’s anniversary coincides with Shabbat. It’s an important moment for us to remember the victims, and we have invited representatives from various political parties. However, we have distanced ourselves from the FPÖ due to their past anti-Semitic incidents, emphasizing the need for a sensitive and inclusive observance.
**Interviewer:** It’s striking that this year’s event will be significantly larger than the National Council’s separate wreath-laying ceremony organized by President Walter Rosenkranz. Why do you think that is?
**Oskar Deutsch:** The difference in scale reflects our community’s commitment to honoring the memory of those lost during the Holocaust and promoting a message of unity and remembrance. The IKG event is a collective tribute with a wide political representation, while the National Council event appears to have a narrower focus, which underlines a divided sentiment within our society about how we remember our past.
**Interviewer:** You mentioned the absence of FPÖ representatives at your event. How do you see the role of political parties in remembering the Holocaust?
**Oskar Deutsch:** Political parties have a crucial role in shaping how we confront our history. Acknowledgment, education, and respect towards the victims and their descendants are essential. Any party that has historically engaged in anti-Semitism cannot expect to participate in a solemn remembrance of a tragedy that they have, in spirit or action, undermined.
**Interviewer:** As we reflect on Kristallnacht and the events of 1938, what message do you hope will resonate from this commemoration?
**Oskar Deutsch:** My hope is that we can foster understanding, awareness, and ultimately solidarity against hate in all its forms. We must learn from our past to create a future where such violence never happens again. Each of us has the responsibility to stand against intolerance, and it’s vital that we remember the lessons of history to guide us forward.
**Interviewer:** Thank you, Mr. Deutsch, for your insights and dedication to remembrance.
**Oskar Deutsch:** Thank you for the opportunity to share. It’s crucial that we keep these discussions alive and develop a culture of remembrance and responsibility.
