At Home in Vienna
| October 17, 2012
It may not have the kedushah of Eretz Yisrael but neither does it have the pressures. It may not have the Jewish infrastructure of New York but neither does it have the pollution. It may not have as big a heimishe population as London but neither does it have the rainy weather. Wien ist anders (Vienna is different) runs the slogan of the city council. What’s true for the rest of the population is also true for Jewish Vienna.
In a global survey conducted by Mercers, an international outsourcing and human relations company, Vienna was awarded first place for “Quality of Living” for three consecutive years, from 2009-2011.
The easy-going, comfortable lifestyle is apparent even to the casual visitor. The streets are clean, the houses may be centuries old but their vibrant colors and beautiful facades add undertones of elegance. Most residents live in apartment buildings that are home to an average of 20 families per building. For the most part, the Jews find their non-Jewish neighbors to be cordial and encounter no problems living in mixed buildings. Since Austria is a predominantly Catholic country, all businesses and stores are closed on Sundays as well as public holidays.
Adding to the ease of daily life is Vienna’s well-planned transportation system. A recent study found that 96 percent of Viennese will find some sort of public transportation within a short walking distance of any given spot. Thanks to the extensive variety of underground trains, tramways, and buses, many find it unnecessary to use a car. Families with young children also appreciate the city’s many parks and playgrounds. One needn’t walk farther than five minutes from home to find a place for the children to run and play.
Vienna’s history is strongly intertwined with its Jewish inhabitants. Many gedolim lived here, and remnants of the city’s Jewish life can be seen, for example, in an excavated shul dating to the 15th century and the Jewish cemeteries. Of the approximately 200,000 Jews who lived in Vienna between the World Wars, many managed to escape. The Nazis murdered most of those who stayed. In comparison to the pre-war numbers, today’s Jewish population of approximately 8,000 is very small. Of that number, only a handful can trace their Viennese lineage back to the era before March 1938, when Austria was annexed to Nazi Germany. Today, Vienna’s heimishe Jewish community of several hundred families is made up mainly of children of refugees from Eastern Europe, who came after the war. This demographic has lent the community a predominantly chassidish character; Bucharian Jews who arrived in the late 70s and 80s have also added their unique “flavor” to the community.
Mr. Yitzchak Binyamin (Lani) Neumann, a member of the Vienna kehillah who grew up in post-war Vienna and has played a formative role in the communal structure, observes, “For many years people lived here with an attitude that ‘I am still on my way onwards.’ People didn’t want Vienna to be their hometown. That attitude contributed to the lack of infrastructure we had back then, which is still somewhat felt today.”
In those early post-war years, there were no Jewish schools available other than an elementary school run by the Joint, which closed a few years after opening. Parents who wanted their children to have a Torah education would send them to cheder for a few hours in the afternoon, after a full day of learning at an Austrian public school. Besides kosher butcher shops, there were no kosher stores; kosher products were imported from other countries. Even chalav Yisrael could only be obtained with great personal effort.
The rabbanim who resided in Vienna after the war didn’t plan to stay, so the kehillos didn’t have a spiritual leader to guide them and help them rebuild. Some ultimately stayed on, such as Rav Chaim Grunfeld, who had been secretary of the Agudah in Vienna. “He was a beloved rav who was a father figure to the broken souls after the war,” says Mr. Neumann, “even though he himself suffered and lost his family during the Holocaust.”
But even those rabbanim who found leadership roles in the community focused mainly on rehabilitating the broken survivors after the war. Very few had the time or strength to actually build or develop the state of Judaism in Vienna. “One lived just to survive,” explains Mr. Neumann.
Survival mode changed to growth mode in the late 1970s and early 80s. A pillar of strength who helped the heimishe community grow and build was the long-time president of the autonomous Israelitische Kultusgemeinde, IKG (Jewish Community Council), Mr. Paul Grosz. He helped foster one of the major changes among the community: a proper schooling system. In fact, the establishment of two Jewish school systems was probably the most promising harbinger of development in Vienna. One school was founded by the IKG, which offered a learning environment exclusive to Jewish children, but without a Torah curriculum. Then Rav Bezalel Stern and, later, his son Rav Chaim Stern, of Machzike Hadass, opened a boys’ and a girls’ school for the heimishe community.
When a new rav, Rav Avrohom Y. Schwartz, arrived in town, he breathed new life into the community. He opened a kollel, which brought new families to town. Suddenly there was not just chalav Yisrael milk available but all kinds of dairy products, a novelty for the community accustomed to subsisting on basics. Then the first kosher minimarket opened. The Kashrus Committee was founded to supervise the manufacture of various food staples at Austrian factories. Even the recently established eruv was initially proposed by the rav and his followers. With the new amenities and the sense of energy and growth, the winds changed. Suddenly young couples began to seriously consider making their permanent homes in Vienna, and some outsiders even moved there from abroad. “It is safe to say,” Mr. Neumann adds, “that without Rav Schwartz the community wouldn’t be what it is today.”
At about the same time there was an influx of Bucharian and Georgian Jews from the former Soviet Union. The Lubavitcher Rebbe sent Rav Yakov Biderman to help welcome these refugees and inject Yiddishkeit into their lives, and today there is a large and thriving frum Bucharian community and Lubavitch kehillah in Vienna.
Over the past 30 years the infrastructure has expanded and continues to grow. It’s the kind of growth that is the fruit of many individuals’ sweat and tears. According to Mr. Neumann, “This is only possible when people put their heart and soul into helping this town grow. One can truly see that the mesirus nefesh of the people who live here, and of those who are willing to give of themselves by moving here, goes a long way.”
Along with the internal growth has come a greater sense of confidence and security. Until 30 years ago, most Jews were careful to hide their identity, keeping their children’s peyos hidden behind the ears and wearing a cap to conceal a yarmulke. Chassidish Jews avoided wearing their streimels outdoors, for fear of the older generation taunting or threatening them. Nowadays Vienna’s Jews are visibly proud of their Yiddishkeit, and all over the Second District you will see boys on their scooters with peyos and tzitzis flying. Streimels or other heimishe levush on Shabbos are the norm.
According to Dovid*, who moved to Vienna several years ago, it’s the kind of community where every individual plays a vital role. “I don’t know many places in the world where a person can become as valuable to the community as here,” he reflects. “Every single person counts and everyone can use his or her talents to contribute to Jewish life in one way or another.”
Today Vienna offers Jewish families a tranquil pace of life with easy access to Jewish resources. The type and scope of goods and services may not be as wide as in major Jewish hubs, but the city boasts numerous shuls, mikvaos, chadarim and schools, several kosher supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, and butcher shops — along with a strong sense of belonging. It may lack the cosmopolitan feel of a large, glitzy city, but Vienna is a vibrant and welcoming hometown to a beautiful Jewish kehillah.
Across the Spectrum
The Jewish community may be small in number, but it’s big in variety. Chassidish, Litvish, Bucharian, Georgian, Mizrachi, etc. are all represented, and even though each kehillah has its own shul and rav, they all feel connected to the larger community. While the community is predominantly chassidish, people who live a litvish or more modern lifestyle also feel at home. In the past decade Vienna has seen a growing number of baalei teshuvah, and they too become an integral part of the kehillah they choose to join.
At the Helm
Every member of each kehillah feels a personal connection to his or her rav and rebbetzin. Whether it is a newcomer to town or someone who decides to join the kehillah, the welcoming feeling and ability to become a part of the shul’s family is exceptional.
Many issues that concern the town as a whole are usually decided jointly by the rabbonim. The recent gathering organized to create awareness of the dangers of internet technology – which was actualized by Rav Weiss of Machzike Hadass — is just one example.
The Chief Rabbi of Vienna and Austria is Rabbi Chaim Eisenberg. The Rabbonim of Vienna’s shuls include Rav Dovid Leib Grunfeld of Agudas Yisroel/K’hal Yisroel, Rav Avrohom Y. Schwartz of K’hal Chassidim/K’hal Yisroel, Rav A. Asher Margulies of Ohel Moshe, Rav Moshe E. Weiss of Machzike Hadass, Rav Yosef Pardes of Mizrachi, Rav Yitzchak Niazov of Bucharian Congress, Rav Moshe Israelov and Rav B. Aminov of the Bucharian Community, Rav Yaakov Chotoveli of the Georgian Community, Rav Yakov Biderman of Chabad, Rav Michoel Pressburger of Adass Yeshurun, and Rav Shlomo Hofmeister is the Community’s Youth Rabbi.
Finally, an Eruv
The kehillah’s latest accomplishment is the eruv, which was declared kosher very recently — right before Shabbos Parshas Ki Savo. It took almost two decades of extensive work on the halachic, bureaucratic, and financial aspects of the issue to overcome all the hurdles and have the eruv declared functional by Vienna’s rabbonim. Although most Jews live in the Second District or the districts bordering it, the eruv also includes areas further afield because railroad tracks were used as a major part of the eruv’s wall. The extra distance accommodates hospital visits or longer treks.
Since the eruv uses a major part of the Austrian Railway System (ÖBB), it was necessary to obtain the rights of use from its director. Although the community was apprehensive about the director’s reaction, they were happily surprised to hear him say, “My father was a Shabbos goy to a Mr. Isidor König, who was very kind to my family before the war.“ Sadly, Mr. König and his entire family were murdered at the hands of the Nazis, the director told the men from the kehillah. “My father made me promise that, should the opportunity arise to help a Jew, I should do so in honor of Mr. König’s memory. I grant you the rights you need on one condition: On the first Shabbos the eruv is in use I ask that you declare it is in his memory and say a blessing for his soul.” And so it was that on Shabbos Parshas Ki Savo the director of the ÖBB was invited to Agudas Yisroel Shul, where the story was repeated and a heartfelt Kaddish was recited for the neshamos of Mr. Isidor König and his family.
The Chinuch Landscape
In Vienna there is a basic rule, says Mr. Neumann: “If you want your children to grow in Torah and avodas Hashem, you have to be moser nefesh 24/7. While in other countries parents often rely on the schools to take care of the majority of their child’s chinuch, Vienna is quite unique — in a positive way — in that the parents are much more hands-on. Children don’t grow because they go to a good school. They grow through the parents’ personal mesirus nefesh.”
Today Vienna boasts several schools and chadarim, catering to the various needs of the community. Machzikei Hadass runs a cheder for boys, as well as a school for girls, starting from toddler-aged playgroups. The boys learn there until they are bar mitzvah age; the girls graduate in the11th grade and then attend seminaries in other parts of Europe. It’s mostly chassidic children who learn in these mosdos, but others choose to send their children as well. “I find it a big advantage,” says one mother. “My children learn to appreciate and respect the differences in their friends from various backgrounds. It is a benefit that goes a long way in their chinuch.”
K’hal Yisroel, which caters to a mixture of litvish, chassidish and Bucharian children, also includes a cheder and a kindergarten. Chabad has built an entire campus offering education from toddler age up to graduation for both boys and girls, with supplementary hours for children who want to learn limudei Kodesh more intensively. While founded to help build the Yiddishkeit of Bucharian and Georgian communities, the school today caters to many heimishe children as well.
In 2008 the IKG opened a unique Jewish Campus in Vienna: the old-age home “Maimonides Zentrum” moved from the 9th district to a new complex, which also houses the ZPC school and the IKG Sportsclub.
In all of these schools, the general subjects are mostly taught by non-Jews since the law allows only teachers with an academic degree in the classroom.
After the boys finish cheder, most of them attend the city’s yeshivah ketanah. For yeshivah gedolah, boys choose yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel or other European cities. There is a yeshivah gedolah in Vienna for baalei teshuvah, which was opened by Rav Sender Garber some three years ago.
Currently Vienna is home to one full-time kollel, run by Machzikei Hadass, as well as a Kollel Boker and Kollel Erev run by Ohel Moshe.
For many years Vienna’s K’hal Yisroel was home to a kollel of elite yungeleit who were dedicated to limud haTorah for life. Most of them were young families who came for several years and then returned to their home countries when their children got older. “The renewal of this kollel is now being planned,” says Mr. Neumann. “We hope to bring families that will see Vienna as an immense opportunity for growth and will help the city reach its full potential.”
Making a Living
The general consensus is that a Jew living in Vienna should either work for another Jew or open his own business. For the most part, the Austrian non-Jewish employer finds it hard to understand why Jews need to be absent from work for so many days. So most of Vienna’s Jews play it safe and work in frum environments.
The most popular line of work for the heimishe kehillah is in the real estate field, whether as a developer, broker, or contractor. As in most of the world, Vienna’s real estate market isn’t as lucrative as it was several years ago. Still, the stress levels at work are definitely lower than in other cities, and most places of work are located only ten minutes away from one’s home, at most, affording Jews time to join a minyan, attend an evening shiur, and have supper with the family. Having Sundays off is another benefit that most people enjoy.
Women mostly work in chinuch as teachers, kindergarten teachers, or office work associated with the schools.
When a family’s average income is combined with the social benefits provided by the government, there is usually enough to live a relatively comfortable, non-pressured life. But the lifestyle is on the plain side. Even among the well-to-do, the norm is to not build fancy homes or decorate them in lavish style. There is no feeling of competitiveness at simchas either.
Young Blood in Vienna
Twenty years ago, most Viennese high school girls would have said, “Me? Live in Vienna? As soon as I get married I’m moving away!” And their parents would have agreed. Today, though, most girls hope to marry someone who will see the many opportunities Vienna offers and will want to live there.
What’s more, some Viennese couples who decided to live abroad are now choosing to come back and join the family business. Other families are being brought to town by the various mosdos, whether for kollel, cheder, or yeshivah. And whether they have family in Vienna or they are newcomers, they are welcomed with open arms. There are welcome parties for the women, words of encouragement for the men, toys and meals sent over for the entire family, and invitations to a Shabbos seudah.
“Your neighbors become your family,” says a newly-arrived resident. “Everyone cares and wants to help. Women showed me around town, teaching me the ins and outs of shopping and what kosher food one can get in the supermarkets.”
Another resident says, “When you have a baby or are not feeling well, everyone pitches in to help in one way or another; meals are arranged, and children are picked up from school. People are there to help with whatever is needed to make things easier, as though you were family.”
The women’s social life includes tzedakah benefits, Rosh Chodesh celebrations, choir groups, and lots of leisurely afternoons in the park. What’s missing is the constant nightly rush to weddings, since most chasunahs are made overseas. Indeed, making a simchah in Vienna can be both complicated and financially taxing. But when there is a wedding in town, every single person pitches in to help. They might host guests, or dance as though it was their own family’s simchah, which is why many like to describe a Viennese simchah as “like in de alte heim.”
Haven in a Unwelcoming World
Vienna has been a magnet for Jewish refugees since after World War I, when the city was flooded with refugees from the dismembered Austrian-Hungarian empire. Two famous rabbinical dynasties lived in Vienna between the two world wars: Sadigura and Kopycznitz. The Tchortkover Rebbe is also buried there.
After the end of the Second World War, Vienna was a central meeting point between east and west, and Vienna itself was divided into four occupation zones: American, French, Russian, and British. Once again, refugees came to Vienna looking for at least a temporary home.
Austria became independent on October 26, 1955. About a year later, Hungarian Jews took advantage of the October 1956 Hungarian Revolution to flee the country, which had been under communist rule, and many came to Vienna. Two decades later, in the 1970s, Bucharian and Georgian Jewish refugees joined them.
At the end of the decade a new group of refugees arrived — Iranian Jews escaping from the Islamic revolution. Although they had been wealthy in Iran, they arrived in Vienna practically penniless. Helping them to get back on their feet were HIAS, which helped them obtain visas, as well as Rav Tov, a Satmar organization that not only helped with the refugees’ physical needs but also with their spiritual growth by providing housing, food, and classes for the men and women. Among those who worked tirelessly on the behalf of the Iranian refugees were Mr. and Mrs. Cik and Mr. and Mrs. Levy of Rav Tov, and Rav Michoel Pressburger, who together with his rebbetzin is until this day dedicated to assisting the Iranian Jews who are waiting for a visa to the United States with all their physical and emotional needs.
How has the city and its people reacted to this influx of Jews?
All of Vienna’s Jews, whether they arrived as refugees or of their own free will, are represented by the IKG, which was founded in 1849, during the reign of Emperor Franz Josef. The relationship with the governing bodies has been excellent and much of the Jewish infrastructure has received financial backing from the government.
In 1981 there was a terrorist shooting attack outside a shul on Shabbos. Two people were killed, Mr. Nathan Fried and Mrs. U. Kohut. Mrs. Kohut jumped in front of a little boy who was in the shooters range and thus saved his life while she died al Kiddush Hashem.
Since then Austrian policemen and Israeli security guards stand outside every shul and school, and there have been few real acts of anti-Semitism. Daily interaction with the general Viennese population runs mostly on a “live and let live” basis. While there are occasional anti-Semitic slurs, according to FGA (Forum Against Anti-Semitism), an organization that receives notifications of any acts of anti-Semitism and responds to them with the help of the government, the number of actual anti-Semitic incidents has fallen in the last decade, and hopefully will continue to fall as time goes on.
Jewish Vienna at a Glance
Jewish population: About 8,000
Population breakdown: About 300 frum Ashkenazic families, of which about 100 are chassidish and the rest are modern chassidish, litvish, mizrachi, etc.; about 1/3 of the population is Bucharian (many of the younger people are frum); there are also about 50 Georgian families.
Student population breakdown: Machzike Hadass’s boys school has about 70 students (7 grades), about 110 girls (11 grades), and about 100 children enrolled in their kindergarten; Agudas Yisroel has about 30 boys (6 grades) in their cheder and about 45 children in their kindergarten; the Chabad school has an enrollement of about 450 children, from kindergarten through grade 12.
Official language: German
Unofficial language: Residents’ native languages are still widely heard. Everyone also speaks English. Many speak Yiddish, too, especially since kodesh lessons for the children are taught in Yiddish.
Climate: Four distinct seasons, with sunny spring days, hot summer months, autumn weather for Succos, and snow-covered streets in winter. April is a rainy month, although it can rain during the summer too.
Food prices: Kosher food is expensive in Vienna. A liter of milk costs 1,70 euros ($2.20), a loaf of bread costs 3 euros ($3.90); a kilo (2.2 lbs) of chicken costs 6,50 euros ($8.40); and a kilo of meat costs about 10 euros ($12.90), depending upon the cut.
It’s easy to find: Household help. There are lots of cleaners and babysitters looking for work, and they’re not expensive.
It’s hard to find: Delicious cakes and pastries. The bread is fresh and tasty, but if you’re looking for a scrumptous Viennese Table, you won’t find one in Vienna.
(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 430)
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