Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-04-15
A Hundred Years of Jewish
Emancipation in Austria

founders Of Austrian industry. 1t was
one of the conditions for obtaining the
privilege Of residing in Vienna that
those who held 1t must open n factory
in the purlieus of the city which would
give employment to the subjects of his
mnjesty, the Emperor of Austria. In
addition to this undertaking, special
high tax was levied on every tolerance
charter.
This state of things was law and GUS
tom even as late as the middle Of the
nineteenth century. Up to the time Of
the coronation of he Emperor Franz
Joseph, Jews had to fight tooth and nal
for every concession. During the first
decades Of the nineteenth century Ger
tain limited rights We're granted for
the formation of Jewish community y
representation tbut not for the forma-
tion Of Jewish community > Per-
mission was also given for the purchase
Of a piece Of land as Jewish property
for the purpose of building n synagog,
the very synagog whose centenary is
now being celebrated.
1t was only the great Revolution of
1S4s In which such wcll-known Jews as
Adolph Fischhof and Joseph Goldmurk
(the fathrr-in-law of Judge Louis Dem
bitv Rroul.is1 mn rti,inn ,.I which ,ra 4,
finally able to break down completely
the prison walls of Jewish life in
Nieuna and in Austria as n whole.
In the course of these hundred years
the Jews of Vienna have increased in
numbers to about a quarter of a mil
lion souls, they have contributed large
ly to the growth of both the economic
and the spiritual life of the city.
Niennese .Iewry has given to Austria
and to the world at large, noted artists,
scientists, economists, financiers, heroes
and champions of liberty.
During these hundred years, however,
the Jews have not only built up a bi.
community in Vienna. The opening up
of the gales to the outside world and
the unrestricted intercourse with the
people of thc country, has also led to
a merging. and Vienna. to perhaps n
greater degree than most other cities.
has been the centre of an apostaSy
epidemic. Very few of the Jews who
took part in the founding of the syna.
gog n hundred years ago are left Ia
judaism. Seated with political free
dom and riches they renounced their
faith. Many Of the oldest Jewish fam
ilics are members today of the Chris
tian and not Of the Jewish faith.
But this political liberalism did not
last long. II was soon followed by the
list anti-Semitic movement, which in
turn gave an impetus to Jewish Ma
ticnalism, and it was from Vienna that
the greatest national figure in the his
tory of the Jewish Diaspora came :
Theodor Herzl, 1t is to Niennese
Jewry that the honor belongs of being
the birthplace of political Zionist, the
centre where was laid the foundation
of the Zionist World Organization.
Recently the struggle between the
ZionistS and the Assimilationists in
Vienna has been renewed with greater
force than ever, II is only during the
very centenary year that the Zionists
Of Niennn looked round and saw that
lIcrzl's great behcst to conquer the
Jewish Communities is far from being
realized in his own city. And the con-
fict between the Zionists and the As
similntioniSts has in the last few days
become intensified to a dcgrce-for the
Jewish communal elections are due very
soon. For the time of the centenary
celebrations, however, there is peace.
The rejoicing Is general. And although
there is no great Jewish political per-
sunnlity in Austria today. there still
stands mt the head of the celebration the
courageous figure of the Chief Rabbi
of vienna Professor Chajcs, the crown
of the Jews of Vienna.