In November, more than 40 Jews – mostly members of the “Second Generation” – visited Vienna at the invitation of the Jewish Welcome Service. Among those welcoming the group were City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler at Vienna City Hall and Federal Minister Karoline Edtstadler at the Federal Chancellery.
Among the guests, who came from the USA, Israel, Canada, and England, there were also two visitors who were born in Vienna: Trudy Gompers and Martin Offenberger. Vivian Sieber from England was also there. She is the author of the book “Kino and Kinder”, in which she tells the story of her grandmother, Paula Ticho. Paula Ticho ran Vienna’s “Palastkino” movie theater with her sister Selma in the 1920s and 1930s. Paula managed to escape from the Nazis, but the cinema was “Aryanized”. Paula later cared for “Kindertransport children” in London (www.viviensieber.eu).
During their wide-ranging stay, the group visited not only sights and central places of Jewish life in Vienna, but also important memorials such as the Shoah Wall of Names in Vienna’s Ostarrichi Park. Some of the visitors took the opportunity to do biographical research in the archives of the Jewish Community.
The group’s stay was sponsored by the Federal Chancellery.
- More photos of the group’s stay in the Facebook album
- Video on W24
