In a temporary installation Ruth Beckermann re-contextualizes Alfred Hrdlicka’s 1988 monument “Memorial against War and Fascism”. The installation THE MISSING IMAGE relates to the bronze figure of a bearded man lying down with a brush in his hand, depicting the Jews cleaning the streets during the pogrom after the “Anschluss” in March 1938. Ruth Beckermann completes the scene by adding the missing images, those of laughing spectators, recently found in film archives. The Jews had to wash the symbols and slogans of the austro-fascist regime from the sidewalk using brushes and sometimes even toothbrushes. This was the brain child of Viennese anti-Semites and imposed exclusively in Vienna and some other Austrian cities.
Albertinaplatz, until November 10. More Information
Jewish Vienna Brochure redeveloped
The “Jewish Vienna - Legacy and Mission” brochure has been completely redeveloped by the Jewish Museum Vienna and the Jewish Welcome Service, supported by the Vienna Tourist Board and the Press and Information Service of the city of Vienna (PID), and is now available for free in the Jewish Museum at Judenplatz, at the JWS and in the Tourist Information office at Albertinaplatz.
Greta Elbogen talks about her life
In April, Greta Elbogen visited Vienna at the invitation of the Jewish Welcome Service and the Theodor Kramer Society. When she was a baby, Elbogen and her family fled to Budapest, her father was murdered in Dachau, her mother and brother were temporarily arrested. Raoul Wallenberg’s safe-conduct pass saved her life. In 1956, she came to Vienna, and later went to New York. Greta Elbogen worked as a social worker and is a spiritual teacher, psychotherapist and poet. In Vienna and Innsbruck, she presented the poetry collection Gott spielt Verstecken / God Plays Hide And Seek together with Konstantin Kaiser and Evelyn Adunka from the Theodor Kramer Society. Information on the book (in German).
High-ranking delegation of the American Jewish Committee New York in Vienna
The Jewish Welcome Service hosted a delegation of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) from 22 to 29 June. The Jewish Welcome Service organized a varied program together with AJC NY and the Austrian Consulate General. The aim of the visit was to give an impression of present-day Austria - from politics to business and culture to modern Jewish life.
The program included meetings and discussions with Austrian politicians in parliament, background talks with representatives of the City of Vienna and the Foreign Ministry, a guided tour of the Jewish Museum Vienna, a visit to the IKG Campus Vienna with President Deutsch as well as the Jewish Community Salzburg. The delegation also visited the Mauthausen and Schloss Hartheim memorial sites and met Ari Rath, former publisher of the Jerusalem Post. Particularly moving: One of the participants was born in a DP camp near Linz. The Jewish Welcome Service made it possible for him to visit his birthplace.
The American Jewish Committee is the oldest Jewish organization in the USA and was founded in 1906. The Jewish Welcome Service previously hosted delegations of AJC ACCESS (younger generation of AJC) in 2012 and 2013.
Wrapping of the Ringturm 2015: "Summer Pleasures" by Tanja Deman
On its 60th birthday, the Ringturm is attracting the attention of the international art scene. For the eighth time, Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein, main shareholder of Vienna Insurance Group, wraps the Ringturm – this year with the work “Sommerfreuden“ (“Summer Pleasures”) by Croatian artist Tanja Deman. This summer, Deman’s work is shown on the Ringturm’s facade and makes its mark on the cityscape with a supersized art installation.