The Jewish Youth of Vienna commemorated the victims of the November pogroms of 1938 at the “Light of Hope,” making a statement against antisemitism and racism.
The ceremony was organised by the youth themselves, with moving contributions from Bnei Akiva, Hashomer Hatzair, Jad be Jad, and Hillel/BBYO.
Speeches were delivered by President Oskar Deutsch, who remembered those still under Hamas control, and Deputy Head of Mission Ilay Levi.
The event marked the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, with hundreds of participants, including politicians, marching through Vienna to stand against antisemitism and all forms of hatred.
The night of November 9-10, 1938, saw synagogues burned, Jewish businesses looted, and Jews abused across the “German Reich,” with at least 30 Jews killed and 4,000 deported from Austria to Dachau.
Deutsch reminded the crowd that the pogroms could have ended in the gas chambers of Mauthausen, Auschwitz, and Treblinka, and traced the roots of antisemitism to words, insults, lies, and rumours.
He also criticised the election of Walter Rosenkranz, linked to the nationalist student fraternity Libertas, which had excluded Jews under the Aryan paragraph.
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, worsened the situation for Jews in Austria, leading to a rise in attacks related to Israel.
Deutsch emphasised the importance of combating all forms of antisemitism, not only from far-right extremism but also from attacks like those of Hamas, which he described as acting in the spirit of Nazi extermination ideology.
Before the speeches, participants, including political leaders such as Minister Karoline Edtstadler, marched from Heldenplatz to Judenplatz with LED candles and signs commemorating the synagogues destroyed in the pogroms.
Signs reading “No place for hate” and “Bring them home now” called for the release of the remaining Hamas hostages. The event symbolised hope and the necessity of standing against hate.
