Ashkenazi Jews In Austria: A Historical Perspective

Ashkenazi Jews are descended from the medieval Jewish communities of the Rhineland in western Germany. Many Ashkenazi Jews migrated to other parts of Europe, with the majority migrating eastward. In 1938, Austria had a Jewish population of about 192,000, representing almost 4% of the total population. The overwhelming majority of Austrian Jews lived in Vienna, comprising about 9% of the city's population. Ashkenazi Jews did inhabit Austria, and their history in the country dates back to the 3rd century CE.

The history of Jews in Austria

A document from the 10th century implies a Jewish population in Vienna, though there is no concrete proof. The existence of a Jewish community in the area is only known for sure after the start of the 12th century when two synagogues existed. In the same century, the Jewish settlement in Vienna increased with the absorption of Jewish settlers from Bavaria and the Rhineland.

At the start of the 13th century, the Jewish community began to flourish. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II declared the Jews a separate ethnic and religious group, and they were granted a bill of rights, which encouraged them to work in the money-lending business and allowed them to gain key positions in many aspects of life in Austria. In 1204, the first documented synagogue in Austria was constructed.

However, the prosperity of the Jewish community caused increased tensions and jealousy from the Christian population, as well as hostility from the Catholic Church. When the area became controlled by the Catholic House of Habsburg in 1282, Austria's prominence as a religious centre for Jewish scholarly endeavours decreased due to the highly antisemitic atmosphere.

In the middle of the 15th century, the condition of Jews worsened as a result of unfounded accusations that the anti-Catholic movement of Jan Hus in Bohemia was associated with the Jewish community. In 1420, a Jewish man from Upper Austria was falsely accused and charged with the crime of desecrating the sacramental bread. This led Albert V to order the imprisonment of all the Jews in Austria. 210 Jewish men, women, and children were burnt alive in the public town square, while the remaining families were rounded up and deported from Austria.

In 1469, the deportation order was cancelled by Frederick III, who became known as the "King of the Jews" for his fairness and strong relationship with the Jewish community. He allowed Jews to return and settle in all the cities of Styria and Carinthia, and they gained a short period of peace between 1440 and 1493.

However, in 1496, Maximilian I ordered a decree expelling all Jews from Styria, and in 1509, he passed the "Imperial Confiscation Mandate" which foresaw the destruction of all Jewish books except the Bible.

The period of relative peace did not last long, and the condition of the Jews worsened again during the reigns of Maximilian II, Rudolf II, and Matthias, when the fanaticism of the Jesuits prevailed. The nadir of the Jewish community in Austria arrived during the reign of Leopold I, a period in which Jews were frequently persecuted and deported from many areas, including Vienna in 1670.

After the Holocaust, the Jewish community in Austria has rebuilt itself, although it is much smaller. In the 1950s, a wave of immigration from the Soviet Union brought Russian Jews to Austria, and since the fall of the Iron Curtain, there has been a renewed influx of Jewish people from the former Soviet Union. Today, Austria has a Jewish population of 10,300, which extends to 33,000 if the Law of Return is accounted for, meaning they have at least one Jewish grandparent.

The Holocaust and its effects on Austrian Jews

Austrian Jews have a long history in the country, dating back to at least the 3rd century CE. Over the centuries, the community has experienced periods of prosperity and equality, as well as persecution, deportations, and mass murder. The Holocaust, which took place between 1938 and 1945, had a devastating impact on the Jewish community in Austria, reducing their population drastically and leaving lasting effects even after the war ended.

The Holocaust

In March 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, an event known as the Anschluss. This marked the beginning of the Holocaust in Austria, during which Jews were systematically persecuted, plundered, and murdered by German and Austrian Nazis. The Jewish population in Austria at the time was approximately 190,000 to 192,000, with most living in Vienna, the country's capital and a significant center of Jewish culture, Zionism, and education.

The annexation was met with enthusiasm by most Austrians, and soon after, German racial laws were enacted in Austria, disenfranchising Jews. According to these laws, 220,000 people were considered Jews, a larger number than the previously accepted figure of 182,000. All Jewish organizations and newspapers were shut down, and their leaders imprisoned. Jews were banned from public transport and subjected to public humiliation, forced labor, and violence.

During Kristallnacht in November 1938, anti-Jewish pogroms took place throughout Germany and Austria, resulting in the destruction and desecration of synagogues, looting and ransacking of Jewish homes and businesses, and the arrest and deportation of thousands of Jews to concentration camps. The Mauthausen concentration camp, established in August 1938, became the main Nazi camp in Austria, where thousands of prisoners were worked to death.

The Nazis instituted a policy of forced emigration for Jews, making it extremely difficult for them to leave. Between 1938 and 1940, approximately 117,000 Jews fled Austria, with many seeking refuge in countries that would later be occupied by Nazi Germany or were members of the Axis. The process of emigration was intentionally challenging, with emigrants facing numerous bureaucratic hurdles and restrictions on what they could take with them. Despite these obstacles, by the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, an estimated 126,445 Jews had managed to depart Austria.

Effects of the Holocaust

The Holocaust had a devastating impact on the Jewish community in Austria, resulting in the murder of an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 Austrian Jews—nearly the entire population that remained in the country during the war. By November 1942, only about 7,000 Jews were left in Austria, and by the end of the war in 1945, fewer than 800 Jews survived in Vienna. The Holocaust effectively destroyed the once-thriving Jewish community in Austria, reducing their population and leaving deep scars.

In the aftermath of the war, the remaining Jewish community in Austria struggled to rebuild. By 1950, the Jewish community in Austria numbered only 13,396 people, with 12,450 living in Vienna. The effects of the Holocaust continued to be felt, with ongoing challenges to restitution and compensation for survivors. It wasn't until the 1980s that Austria began to confront its role in the Holocaust, moving away from the “First Victim” narrative that portrayed the country as an unwilling participant in Nazi crimes.

The Holocaust had a lasting impact on Austrian society, shaping its post-war history and prompting a reassessment of the country's restitution and compensation programs. The Austrian government has since acknowledged its role in the Holocaust and has taken steps to address gaps in restitution and provide social welfare benefits to victims of the Nazis. However, anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism have continued to surface in Austria, highlighting the ongoing need for education, remembrance, and research to honor the victims and prevent future atrocities.

The Austrian Jewish community before the Anschluss

The pre-1938 Austrian Jewish community was strong in numbers and spirit. There were 34 Jewish communities in Austria, with 22 synagogues and over 50 prayer houses in Vienna alone. The community had a Jewish museum, libraries, schools, hospitals, orphanages, sports clubs, Yiddish theatres, kosher kitchens, Zionist organisations, political associations, newspapers, and journals. They also had charitable foundations, with one of the largest groups being the Jewish World War I Veterans' Association.

Jews made up 3% of the Austrian population but 10% of the Viennese population. They were highly represented in professions such as textiles, pharmacy, the arts, and academia. Notable figures in the community included Sigmund Freud, Karl Kraus, Victor and Alfred Adler, and Arthur Schnitzler.

Between 1933 and 1937, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) made significant contributions to the health and welfare of the Austrian Jewish community, providing aid for rehabilitation, reconstruction, and refugees.

The Austrian Jewish community after the Anschluss

The Austrian Jewish community was devastated by the Anschluss, with many fleeing the country and those who remained enduring the horrors of Nazi terror. The Jewish population in Austria at the time of the Anschluss was approximately 180,000 to 190,000, with the majority living in Vienna. Within months of the annexation, all Jews were ordered to move to Vienna and then to the 2nd district of Leopoldstadt, where a Jewish ghetto once existed.

The Nazis, with the help of their Austrian followers, began a rapid expropriation of Jewish property, accompanied by extreme intimidation and violence towards Jewish people. Jews were expelled from all cultural, economic, and social life in Austria. Their businesses were 'aryanised' and either sold for a fraction of their value or seized outright. Jewish citizens were humiliated and forced to perform menial tasks.

On November 9, 1938, Kristallnacht ("the Night of Broken Glass") was carried out in Germany and Austria. Synagogues were looted and burned, Jewish shops were vandalised and looted, and Jewish homes were destroyed. In Vienna, all synagogues except one were destroyed. During that night, at least 27 Jews were murdered in Austria, and many others were beaten.

The first deportations of Austrian Jews began in October 1939, with about 1,500 Jews deported to Nisko. Between February and March 1941, another 5,000 were deported to Poland. By December 1940, there were still about 50,000 to 60,000 Jews living in Vienna, most of whom were unemployed, evicted from their homes, and struggling to survive.

October 15, 1941, marked the beginning of the first systematic deportations of Jews from Vienna to the Lodz Ghetto. This was followed by deportations to Minsk, Riga, and Terezin. The first deportation directly to Auschwitz took place on July 17, 1942, with many more following. By the end of the war, approximately 5,000 Jews remained in Austria, and the majority of those who stayed were murdered in the Holocaust.

After the Holocaust, the only Jewish community remaining in Austria was the Kultusgemeinde, which had been freed from Nazi control. In December 1945, the Kultusgemeinde consisted of just under 4,000 members, with 29% over 60 years old and 31% between 46 and 60. The community struggled financially and faced rampant antisemitism, as well as difficulties in recovering homes, businesses, and personal possessions.

In the years following World War II, the Austrian government was slow to address its responsibilities regarding the crimes of the Nazi regime and the country's former Jewish population. It was not until July 1991 that the Austrian government officially acknowledged its role in the crimes of the Third Reich.

The Austrian Jewish community today

The Austrian Jewish community has rebuilt itself since the Holocaust, but it is much smaller than it was before. The current Austrian Jewish population is around 10,300–15,000, with most living in Vienna, Graz, and Salzburg. This number extends to 33,000 if the Law of Return is accounted for, meaning people with at least one Jewish grandparent.

The Austrian Jewish community is primarily made up of Holocaust survivors and their families, returning Austrian expatriates, refugees from the former Soviet Union and other parts of Eastern Europe, and Iranian Jews. About 800 are Holocaust survivors who lived in Austria before 1938, and about 1,500 are immigrants from countries once part of the Soviet Union.

In Vienna, there are synagogues, a Jewish retirement home, the Jewish Museum (founded in 1993), and other community institutions. Austrian Jews are of many different denominations, from Haredi to Reform Jews. The Jewish community also has many activities arranged by the Chabad movement, which manages kindergartens, schools, a community centre, and even a university. There are also active branches of Bnei Akiva and Hashomer Hatzair youth movements.

The biggest minority among the Jewish community in Vienna are immigrants from Georgia, followed by those from Bukhara. Each group has separate synagogues and a large community centre called "The Spanish Centre".

There are five Jewish communities in Austria: Vienna, Linz, Salzburg, Tirol & Vorarlberg, and Graz, with Vienna being the largest. The IKG-Vienna, or the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde, oversees the umbrella organization, the Israelite Religious Society, making it central to Jewish life and decision-making in Austria. Additionally, there is a reform-liberal Jewish community in Austria.

Vienna has many kosher supermarkets and restaurants, and during the summer, there are kosher hotels in Saalbach-Hinterglemm and Bad Gastein. While Shechita is allowed legally, it is under the caveat that the animal is stunned directly after the cut is made. However, this is complicated and expensive, so most kosher meat in Austria is imported.

There are four Jewish kindergartens and four-day schools in Austria offering Jewish primary and high school education. The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation operates nursery, elementary, and secondary schools, as well as a Heder (Hebrew language and religious studies school) on the Lauder Chabad campus. The Vienna University has an institute for Jewish studies, and the Institute for the History of Jews in Austria is set in a former synagogue in St. Poelten.

The Austrian Union of Jewish Students (JÖH) is the representative organization of Jewish students in Austria. The union organizes events, political activism, and support for students facing issues at their universities, particularly where these relate to Judaism. The union is supported financially by the Office of the Chancellor.

The Jews of Austria publish several journals and papers, including the monthly Die Gemeinde, the official organization of the community, and the Illustrierte Neue Welt, originally founded by Theodor Herzl. The Austrian Jewish Students Union has its own bulletin called Noodnik.

History of the Austrian Jewish Community

Jews have been in Austria since at least the 3rd century CE. In 2008, a team of archaeologists discovered a third-century CE amulet in the form of a gold scroll with the words of the Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael (Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one) inscribed on it in the grave of a Jewish infant in Halbturn.

In 1890, a Habsburg statute granted Austrian Jews religious autonomy. In January 1938, there were approximately 190,000 Jews living in Austria, most of whom were members of the Kultusgemeinde. By May 1945, one-third of these were no longer alive.

In 1938, nearly all synagogues in Austria were destroyed. The only one to survive was the Vienna City Temple, which was built in 1825. Between 1938 and 1941, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee spent close to $2 million on swift Austrian Jewish emigration, benefiting more than 130,000 people.

By October 1942, Austria had only about 2,000 to 5,000 Jews left. About 1,900 of these were sent out of the country during the next two years, and the rest remained in hiding. The total number of the Austrian Jewish population murdered during the Holocaust is about 65,500 people, 62,000 of whom are known by name.

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