ORF (Austrian Public Broadcasting), May 17, 2021
German original: https://religion.orf.at/stories/3206387/
In her new book, Jew is Not a Cuzzword, the journalist Alexia Weiss shows what being Jewish in Austria and all its ambivalence is about. This includes Jewish dietary rules and queer clubbings, and also anti-Semitism and the current-again issue of Israel.
A Rabbi, a historian, a tourist guide, a journalist and party organizer, and a real estate agent. Those are just a few of the people interviewed by Alexia Weiss in her book, offering insights into a diverse Jewish community. Diversity is the term that probably describes the Jewish Community in Austria best.
While some observe Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest that does not allow for any work to be done or electronic equipment to be operated, others live a more secular Jewish life. Some are engaged in the liberal reform Community, others at the same time understand their being Jewish not so much in religious terms, but in a cultural way.
Anti-Semitism as a Commonality
While the realities of life of the interviewees are of course different, there exists a common thread that can be observed throughout the book: individual, yet similar experiences with anti-Semitism; in addition, the constant justifications for Israeli politics are another commonality.
They are young Austrians and also a few immigrants, for whom Austria is the center of life. But Jews here are asked about Israeli politics again and again and thus entangled in debates about the conflict in Gaza, as Weiss reports in her book based on her own experiences.
“The Israel-Dilemma”
In her book, she describes an “Israel-dilemma” confronting her regularly, a dilemma that currently is likely to affect more Jews in the light of the ongoing fight between the Israeli military and the radical Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas.
When you feel the need to share “news from Israel that didn’t make it into the local news outlets in order to raise awareness and thereby also emphasizing positive aspects,” it is not surprising when non-Jews hold up a mirror to you, writes Weiss. For example, when they “rub in the news from Jerusalem, Hebron, or the West Bank with which one doesn’t identify.”
“Not Eligible to Vote” in Israel
But one thing is clear: she doesn’t want to be reproached with the actions of the Israeli military, or, for example, with the claim that all Israelis suppress Palestinians. She is an Austrian citizen and not even “eligible to vote in Israel,” writes Weiss.
The question about the position on the conflict in the Middle East, however, is familiar to many Jews, as is evident in the interviews. “Those questions arise again and again,” says the journalist and the behavioral therapist in training, Ursula Raberger. She tries to “avoid such political discussions,” particularly at parties. Raberger organizes the so-called Kibbutz Club, a queer happening, an event that addresses (but not exclusively) homosexual people.
“Good to Live in Vienna”
Jew is Not a Cuzzword is not a book on anti-Semitism, Weiss told religion.ORF.at. “Meanwhile, there exist a lot of books on anti-Semitism, and they are necessary. But it was important to me to draw a differentiated picture of Jewish life in Austria.”
Weiss: “I wanted to show that it is very good to live in Vienna as a Jew, that there is a great infrastructure. I wanted to show that the anti-Semitic hostilities do of course exist, but at the same time there is also a lot of empathy.”
“Totally OK” to say Jew
What has not been achieved yet is normal social interaction with Jews, knows Weiss. “That really is the core statement of the book.” Jewry is “still not seen as something natural.” This is noticeable because there still are reservations going to a kosher restaurant, or that there exist many questions one does not dare to ask, even though they are totally ok, like for example using the word Jew.”
Politicians in particular would instead use the term “fellow Jewish citizens,” which is problematic. After all, one doesn’t use “ fellow Christian citizens,” but simply “citizens.”
Informative, Thrilling, Depressing
In the book, Weiss interchanges informative and thrilling parts dealing with the history and present of the Jewish Community with the often very personal interviews. For example, the reader learns that in 1934, some 178,000 Jews were still living in Vienna, while according to estimates that number today is between 10,000 and 15,000 Jews in all of Austria.
Weiss also talks about how the Austrian phonetic alphabet, still the basis for spelling today, was altered by the Nazis: S as in Samuel turned into Siegfried, N as in Nathan turned into Nordpol, D as in David turned into Dora.
The book tells about how the Jewish Community became one during the Monarchy, why talk about Jewish Christmas is absurd, why the term “Judaeo-Christian Occident” does not live up to history, and where kosher delights can be found here and today.
It gets depressing, however, when it’s about anti-Semitism and its influence on children. For example, when the real estate agent Chanan Babacsayv talks about his son: “the younger one wears a kippah, also at school and on the street. I always beg him, wear a hat. He is currently 13 and very aware of his Judaism, and he does not understand why he has to hide that. I still have to work on that a bit.”
ALEXIA WEISS, Jude ist kein Schimpfwort