Jews In Austria: Population During The Anschluss

The persecution of Jews in Austria began immediately after the German annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, in 1938. At the time of the Anschluss, the Jewish population of Austria was approximately 192,000, with the majority living in Vienna.

The Jewish population of Austria was approximately 192,000 in 1938

In 1938, the Jewish population of Austria was approximately 192,000, with the overwhelming majority living in Vienna, the capital. Jews made up about 9% of the city's population and about 4% of the total population of Austria.

The persecution of Jews in Austria was immediate and violent after the Anschluss. German racial laws were enacted, under which 220,000 people were now considered Jews in Austria, larger than the previously accepted figure of 182,000. Jews were disenfranchised and forced to emigrate from Austria. The emigration centre was in Vienna, and those leaving were required to have numerous documents approving their departure from different departments. This process was made extremely difficult and expensive.

Synagogues were looted and burned, Jewish shops were vandalised and looted, and some Jewish homes were destroyed. Jews were no longer allowed on public transport. They were forced to wash sidewalks and public toilets, sometimes with toothbrushes or their bare hands. Many regular Austrians joined the Nazis in terrorising Jews.

An estimated 70,000 Jews were murdered and 125,000 were forced to flee Austria as refugees. By December 1939, the number of Jews in Vienna had been reduced to 57,000, primarily due to emigration.

70,000 Jews were murdered

The persecution of Jews in Austria was immediate and violent after the Anschluss. German racial laws were enacted, and Jews were disenfranchised. According to these laws, 220,000 people were now considered Jews in Austria, though the previously accepted figure was 182,000. The Jewish population of Austria was approximately 192,000 in 1938, mostly in Vienna. An estimated 70,000 Jews were murdered, and 125,000 were forced to flee Austria as refugees. This means that nearly 40% of the Jewish population was killed, and a further 65% were forced to leave the country.

The emigration process was made extremely difficult. The emigration centre was in Vienna, and people were required to have numerous documents approving their departure from different departments. The price of escape was heavy, with special taxes for visas, passports, health certificates, etc.

Jews were no longer allowed on public transport. Many regular Austrians joined the Nazis in terrorising Jews. In acts of public humiliation, Jews were forced to wash sidewalks and public toilets, at times with toothbrushes or their bare hands.

On November 9, "the Night of Broken Glass" (Kristallnacht) was carried out in Germany and Austria. Synagogues all over Austria were looted and burned by the Hitler Youth and the SA. Jewish shops were vandalised and looted, and some 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.

125,000 Jews were forced to flee Austria as refugees

In 1938, Austria had a Jewish population of around 192,000, with the overwhelming majority living in Vienna. Jews comprised about 9% of the city's population. However, after the German annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, Jews were systematically persecuted, plundered and killed. An estimated 70,000 Jews were murdered and 125,000 were forced to flee Austria as refugees.

The persecution of Jews was immediate and violent. German racial laws were enacted in Austria, under which Jews were disenfranchised. Jews were no longer allowed on public transport, and many regular Austrians joined the Nazis in terrorizing Jews. In acts of public humiliation, Jews were forced to wash sidewalks and public toilets, sometimes with toothbrushes or their bare hands. Synagogues were looted and burned, Jewish shops were vandalised and looted, and some Jewish homes were destroyed.

The emigration centre was in Vienna, and those leaving were required to have numerous documents approving their departure from different departments. The process was made extremely difficult. For those lucky enough to escape, the price was heavy, with special taxes of all sorts for visas, passports, health certificates, etc. By December 1939, the number of Jews in Austria had been reduced to just 57,000, primarily due to emigration.

German racial laws were enacted in Austria, under which 220,000 people were considered Jews

Following the German annexation of Austria, known as the Anschluss, German racial laws were enacted in Austria. These laws, known as the Nuremberg Laws, were antisemitic and racist, and were based on the false theory that the world is divided into distinct races that are not equally strong and valuable.

The Nazis believed in the superiority of the so-called Aryan race, which they considered themselves to be members of. They saw Jews as belonging to a separate, inferior race, and believed that their presence in Germany threatened the German people. The Nuremberg Laws, enacted in 1935, included the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour, which forbade marriages and extramarital intercourse between Jews and Germans, as well as the employment of German females under 45 in Jewish households. The laws also included the Reich Citizenship Law, which declared that only those of German or related blood were eligible to be Reich citizens. Those who did not meet this criterion were classed as state subjects without any citizenship rights.

Under these laws, 220,000 people were considered Jews in Austria, a larger figure than the previously accepted number of 182,000 or 192,000. The Jewish population of Austria was forced to emigrate, and those who remained were subjected to intense persecution. They were disenfranchised, with all Jewish organisations and newspapers closed and their leaders imprisoned. Jews were no longer allowed on public transport, and many were terrorised by regular Austrians who joined the Nazis in acts of public humiliation, forcing them to wash sidewalks and public toilets with toothbrushes or their bare hands.

The emigration centre was in Vienna, where Jews were required to have numerous documents approving their departure

After the Anschluss, all Jews were effectively forced to emigrate from Austria. The emigration centre was in Vienna, where Jews were required to have numerous documents approving their departure. The process was made extremely difficult, with Jews needing to obtain documents from different departments. The funds to emigrate were administrated via the official Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien (IKG) – the only Jewish organisation allowed to function following the Anschluss. The emigration process was expensive, with special taxes for visas, passports, health certificates, etc.

The IKG, led by Dr Joseph Loewenberg, was responsible for administrating the funds for Jewish emigration. The organisation received close to $2 million from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee between 1938 and 1941. These funds benefited more than 130,000 people. Other organisations, such as the Council for German Jewry in London and HIAS, also contributed funds until the United States entered the war in December 1941.

The emigration process was a difficult and costly one for Jews in Austria. Many were unable to obtain the necessary documents or pay the required taxes, leaving them with no choice but to remain in Austria and face the increasing persecution and violence inflicted by the Nazis. For those who were able to emigrate, the process was a lifeline, offering them a chance to escape the horrors of the Holocaust and start a new life in another country.

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