Exploring Jewish Presence In Austria's History

The presence of Jews in Austria dates back to the 3rd century CE, with the discovery of a third-century amulet in the grave of a Jewish infant in Halbturn providing the earliest evidence of their existence in the region. Over the centuries, the Jewish community in Austria has experienced both prosperity and persecution, with their status rising and falling depending on the political climate. In the early 20th century, the Jewish population in Vienna, the centre of Jewish life in Austria, reached 180,000, comprising 10% of the city's total population. However, the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938 marked a dark period for Austrian Jews, with many fleeing the country and over 65,000 being deported and killed during the Holocaust. Today, the Jewish community in Austria is rebuilding, with a current population of around 10,300-15,000, mostly concentrated in Vienna.

The Holocaust and its effects on Austrian Jews

The Holocaust had a devastating impact on Austria's Jewish community, which had a long history in the country dating back to the 3rd century CE. In the years leading up to World War II, Jews in Austria flourished and played a significant role in various sectors, including science, arts, business, and industry. However, the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, known as the "Anschluss," marked a turning point for the Jewish population.

The Holocaust's Impact on Austrian Jews:

Persecution and Violence:

Austrian Jews faced immediate and severe persecution after the Anschluss. They were disenfranchised, subjected to German racial laws, and forced to reorganise their communities under Adolf Eichmann's leadership. All Jewish organisations and newspapers were shut down, and their leaders imprisoned. Jews were banned from public transport and subjected to public humiliation, such as being forced to clean sidewalks and toilets. During the Kristallnacht pogroms in November 1938, synagogues were desecrated and destroyed, and Jewish homes and businesses were looted.

Plunder and Deportation:

The Holocaust resulted in the seizure and transfer of Jewish property to non-Jewish owners in Austria. This included homes, businesses, real estate, financial assets, and artworks. The Nazis and their followers rapidly expropriated Jewish assets while intimidating and committing violence against Jewish individuals. The Austrian plebiscite in April 1938, which excluded Jews from voting, showed overwhelming support for the Nazi German annexation, with over 99% approval. The first deportations of Austrian Jews began in October 1939, with about 1,500 Jews sent to Nisko, and more deportations followed in subsequent years.

Emigration and Exile:

The Nazis forced Jews to emigrate from Austria, but the process was deliberately made difficult. The Central Office for Jewish Emigration, led by Eichmann, was responsible for handling emigration. Jews had to obtain numerous documents, pay high taxes, and leave most of their valuables behind. Despite the challenges, between 1938 and 1941, about 110,000 Jews managed to depart the country. However, those who remained, mostly because they were unable to obtain visas, faced dire consequences.

Death and Destruction:

The Holocaust resulted in the deaths of thousands of Austrian Jews. Many were deported to concentration camps, such as Dachau, Buchenwald, and Theresienstadt, or to death camps like Auschwitz. Others were shot and killed in forests in occupied Eastern European countries. By the end of the war, only about 5,000 Jews remained in Austria, with fewer than 800 surviving until the liberation of Vienna in April 1945. The total number of Austrian Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust is estimated to be around 65,500 people, with 62,000 of them identified by name.

Post-Holocaust Effects:

After the Holocaust, the Jewish community in Austria struggled to rebuild. The Kultusgemeinde, freed from Nazi control, had only around 4,000 members in December 1945, with a significant proportion being elderly. Jewish institutions and organisations slowly returned, but anti-Semitism remained rampant, and efforts to recover lost properties were met with resistance and abuse. The Austrian government's initial stance as the "`first victim`" of Nazi aggression also hindered restitution and compensation negotiations for many years.

Jewish life in Austria before the Holocaust

Jews have been present in Austria since the 3rd century CE, with the earliest surviving evidence of their presence being a third-century amulet discovered in a Jewish infant's grave in 2008. In the 10th century, a document determined equal rights between Jewish and Christian merchants in the Danube, implying a Jewish population in Vienna. However, the existence of a Jewish community in the area is only known for certain after the start of the 12th century, when two synagogues were built.

At the start of the 13th century, the Jewish community in Austria began to flourish. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II declared Jews to be a separate ethnic and religious group, and published a bill of rights for them in 1244. This barred them from many jobs, businesses, and educational opportunities, but encouraged them to work in money lending and immigration.

During this period, the Jewish population mainly dealt with commerce and the collection of taxes. They also gained key positions in other aspects of Austrian life. In 1204, the first documented synagogue in Austria was constructed, and a group of families headed by notable rabbis settled in Vienna, establishing a prominent school of Talmudic studies.

However, the prosperity of the Jewish community caused increased tensions and jealousy from the Christian population, as well as hostility from the Catholic Church. In 1282, when the area came under the control of the Catholic House of Habsburg, Austria's prominence as a religious center for Jewish scholarly endeavors decreased due to the highly anti-Semitic atmosphere.

Despite this, the Jewish community in Austria continued to grow and prosper over the centuries, and by the 20th century, they played an important role in the country's economic and cultural life. 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.

However, the German annexation of Austria in 1938 marked a turning point for the Jewish community. The Nazis quickly extended anti-Jewish legislation to Austria, and the Mauthausen concentration camp was established as the main Nazi camp in the country. The Kristallnacht pogroms in November 1938 were particularly brutal in Austria, with most synagogues in Vienna being destroyed and Jewish businesses vandalized and ransacked.

As a result, Jewish emigration from Austria increased dramatically, and between 1938 and 1940, 117,000 Jews left the country. Systematic mass deportations from Vienna began in October 1941, and thousands of Jews were sent to ghettos and concentration camps in occupied Poland and elsewhere in occupied eastern Europe. By November 1942, only about 7,000 Jews remained in Austria, and almost all those who stayed were murdered in the Holocaust.

Jewish life in Austria after the Holocaust

By the end of World War II, there were only around 5,000 Jews left in Austria, and the only remaining Jewish community was the Kultusgemeinde, which had been freed from Nazi control. In December 1945, the Kultusgemeinde consisted of just under 4,000 members, 29% of whom were over 60 years old, and another 31% were between 46 and 60. The community began to rebuild, and by 1948, its numbers had doubled. Jewish institutions and organisations also began to re-emerge, including sports clubs, Zionist associations, student groups, and health associations.

However, the rebuilding process was challenging. Many Austrian Jews who had survived or returned faced significant obstacles, including anti-Semitism and difficulties recovering their homes, businesses, and possessions. Efforts to secure restitution and compensation for victims were met with resistance from the Austrian government, which had long adhered to the "'First Victim' narrative", portraying Austria as a victim rather than a perpetrator of Nazi crimes. This stance was not fully renounced until 1991, when Chancellor Franz Vranitzky acknowledged the co-responsibility of Austrians for the suffering inflicted on the country's Jewish community.

In the decades following the Holocaust, the Jewish community in Austria continued to face challenges. Neo-Nazism and antisemitism persisted in Austrian society and politics, and incidents of vandalism and violence targeting Jewish sites and individuals occurred. Nevertheless, the community persevered, and by the early 21st century, the Jewish population in Austria had grown to around 10,300, with the majority living in Vienna. Efforts to promote Holocaust education and combat antisemitism have continued, and various programs and incentives have been established to support Jewish culture and life in Austria.

Austrian Jewish population figures

The Jewish population in Austria has fluctuated significantly over the centuries, with periods of prosperity and equality punctuated by persecution, deportations, and mass murder.

In the 3rd century CE, Jews began immigrating to Austria following the Roman legions after the Roman occupation of Israel. A discovery in 2008 of a third-century amulet in the grave of a Jewish infant in Halbturn is considered the earliest evidence of a Jewish presence in what is now Austria.

By the 10th century, there was a Jewish population in Vienna, and by the 12th century, two synagogues existed. The Jewish community continued to grow in the 13th century, with the immigration of Jewish settlers from Bavaria and the Rhineland. In 1204, the first documented synagogue in Austria was constructed.

However, the Jewish community faced increasing tensions and hostility from the Christian population and the Catholic Church. In the 14th century, the entire Jewish population was targeted by angry non-Jewish neighbours, causing their numbers to decline. In the 15th century, Jews in Austria suffered false accusations, imprisonment, and mass murder, with families rounded up and deported.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Jewish community continued to face persecution and deportations. During the reign of Leopold I, Jews were frequently deported from areas, including Vienna in 1670, and subjected to laws aimed at curbing the growth of their population.

In the 18th century, under the rule of Maria Theresa of Austria, a period of relative tolerance began. However, the empress was known for her hatred of Jews, and she passed laws regulating their rights and cancelling their autonomy.

The 19th century saw a shift towards integration and equal rights for Jews in Austria. Emperor Franz Joseph I granted Jews equal rights, stating that civil rights should not be contingent on religion. During his reign, Jewish lawyers, journalists, authors, doctors, bankers, and artists thrived and contributed significantly to Austrian culture.

By 1910, there were 1,313,687 Jews in the Austrian half of the empire, with about 300,000 in the new Austrian state by 1918. However, this period of prosperity ended abruptly with the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, leading to the Holocaust, which drastically reduced the Jewish population.

By 1941, almost all Jews had been forced to emigrate, and those who remained were murdered. The total number of Austrian Jews murdered during the Holocaust is estimated to be around 65,500. After World War II, the Jewish community in Austria rebuilt itself, but it was much smaller.

Today, Austria's Jewish population is estimated to be between 10,300 and 15,000, with most living in Vienna, Graz, and Salzburg. This number includes Holocaust survivors who lived in Austria before 1938 and immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Anti-Semitism in Austria

Austria has a long history of anti-Semitism, which has persisted from medieval times to the present day.

Medieval Anti-Semitism

The Jewish community in Austria began after the exodus of Jews from Judea under Roman occupation. There has been evidence of Jews in Austria since the 3rd century CE, and by the 12th century, two synagogues existed. In the 13th century, the Jewish community began to flourish, partly due to Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II's declaration that Jews were a separate ethnic and religious group, and therefore not bound to the laws that targeted Christians. This bill of rights encouraged the immigration of additional Jews to the area and promised protection and autonomous rights.

However, this prosperity was short-lived. In the 14th century, a fixed Jewish tax was imposed, followed by persecution and massacres. In 1420, all Austrian Jews were arrested; 270 were burned at the stake, while the others were expelled and their property confiscated. In 1496, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I expelled all Jews from Styria and passed the "Imperial Confiscation Mandate", which ordered the destruction of all Jewish books except the Bible.

Anti-Semitism in the 19th Century

In the 19th century, anti-Semitism was on the rise in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. One of the politicians who capitalised on this was Georg von Schoenerer, who called for a break-up of the monarchy and the annexation of German-speaking areas to the German Reich. A more popular politician was Karl Lueger, who used anti-Semitism to appeal to artisans and students. Lueger, who became Mayor of Vienna in 1897, wanted to unite all Christians against the common Jewish enemy. He removed Jews from positions in the city administration and forbade them from working in factories located in Vienna.

The Holocaust

In 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, and thousands of Austrian Jews who opposed Nazi rule were sent to concentration camps. Of the 65,000 Viennese Jews deported, only about 2,000 survived. During the Holocaust, almost all synagogues in Austria were destroyed, Jewish homes and businesses were looted, and thousands of Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps. It is estimated that 65,500 Austrian Jews were murdered, with 62,000 known by name.

Post-World War II

Anti-Semitism did not end with the conclusion of World War II. In the aftermath of the war, anti-Semitism continued to be a part of Austrian political life and culture, particularly in political parties and the media. In contemporary Austria, anti-Semitism tends to focus more on diffused and traditional stereotypes than on acts of physical aggression. It remains a main ideological component of extreme right-wing groups and their publications. Since 2000, extreme rightist and neo-Nazi groups have intensified their activities. In recent years, there have been numerous incidents of anti-Semitic vandalism, including swastika graffiti, the desecration of Jewish graves, and the vandalism of stepping stones that commemorate the names of Holocaust victims.

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