Vienna (PK) – National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka opened the international parliamentary anti-Semitism conference today at a reception in Parliament. The conference, entitled “Never again? Democracy cannot tolerate anti-Semitism,” is taking place today and tomorrow, Wednesday, in Vienna on his initiative.
Against the backdrop of the anniversary of the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on Israel on October 7, Sobotka explained the reasons for hosting the conference to parliamentary representatives from various nations, such as Switzerland, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Israel, representatives of Jewish communities and organizations, and other conference participants. “After the Shoah, the greatest crime against humanity, our Jewish community members in the European Union are afraid again. Fear of exclusion, fear of verbal abuse and attacks, and fear of physical attacks and terror,” emphasized the President of the National Council. In addition, Jewish communities in Europe usually only have contact with the security forces. The aim is to ensure that parliamentarians also get involved and position themselves as contact persons for Jewish communities and their representatives, emphasized Sobotka. Another reason is to sharpen European positions on the terrorist organization Hamas, to question the role of UNWRA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), to obtain a clearer picture of Israel and the situation in the Middle East and to assess the impact on Europe.
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Ariel Muzicant, President of the European Jewish Congress and Vice President of the World Jewish Congress, agreed with Sobotka. “We have people who are afraid to go out, who no longer go to the synagogue. Parents who are worried about sending their children to school.” In many European countries – he cited Belgium, Slovenia, Spain and Ireland as examples – one would have to fear for one’s life if one were to present oneself as a proud Jew and support Israel. Muzicant thanked Sobotka for the initiative for the conference, which he hopes will be the initiator of support for the Jewish community. In addition to anti-Semitism, he said, he is also concerned about the trend towards illiberal democracies – he mentioned the restriction of the free press and women’s rights, for example. Personal and political freedom as well as liberal democracy are “the air” for Jewish people; if these are taken away, they cannot survive.
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Oskar Deutsch, the President of the Jewish Community of Vienna, also addressed the participants at the opening. He reported that recorded anti-Semitic attacks in Austria had “exploded” in the last year. Jewish businesses had been sprayed, children were bullied, monuments were defaced. But this was not an Austrian phenomenon, but happened all over Europe. Many Jews were seriously considering leaving Europe. They were confronted with a gigantic wave of hatred. Police protection and military operations were necessary – this was a disgrace for Europe in 2024, emphasized Deutsch. But there were also large parts of society and politics that stood in solidarity with the Jewish communities and Israel. Deutsch thanked this part of the people for standing up against the oldest form of hatred, anti-Semitism.
Also speaking were 20-year-old Dov Forman, a bestselling English author who has made the fate of his grandmother, an Auschwitz survivor, known via social media, and 23-year-old student Jessica Winkelbauer, a member of Likrat in Vienna. They described how they experience everyday life as part of the Jewish community. Both agreed that education is essential to countering anti-Semitism. Forman also emphasized that it is important to be active on platforms through which hatred spreads in order to take a stand against it. “It is up to us to share our stories,” said Forman.
Tomorrow’s conference will focus on trends in anti-Semitism, the situation of Jewish communities in Europe and the situation in the Middle East. (End) map
