Last Day in Vienna

On Tuesday, January 29th, we went out into Vienna one last time to explore the effects of the Holocaust on the culture of Vienna. It was very enlightening to be with Dr. Moser, who grew up in Vienna and is a part of the Jewish culture there. He first took us to the section of the first district that was primarily Jewish. We stopped at the only active synagogue in Vienna, where policemen had checkpoints and the street was blocked off from traffic. Dr. Moser told us about bombings and other terrorist attacks that have occurred at the synagogue since the end of the war. It was very sad to think that the little culture left in Vienna has to be guarded and fenced off for its own protection. Under high stress and pressure just to practice religion - that is something many Americans can not relate to, yet it is normal for Jews in Europe. We then crossed into the third district and walked the streets. A non-profit organization has recently been going through and putting plaques commemorating certain places where Jews had been killed or rounded up. Many homeowners are against these plaques, but we found some where the homeowners agreed. There is still a lot of antisemitism in Vienna and it is hard for the city to find peace and understanding with the demons of their past.