In mid-March, a group of 20 “Second Generation” Jews took a trip to Vienna at the invitation of the Jewish Welcome Service. Their stay was part of the “visitor program for displaced Viennese Jews and their descendants.” The guests came from the US, Brazil, Australia, and England. Due to the war in Iran, only half of those invited were able to attend. For guests from Israel, unfortunately, it was not possible to travel to Vienna.
Varied program and reception in Vienna City Hall
The comprehensive visitor program included visits to the Jewish Museum, the Wien Museum, and the Kindertransport statue “For the Child” at the Vienna Westbahnhof station, as well as a city tour and a walking tour through Jewish Vienna.
The focal point of the program was the reception at Vienna City Hall by City Councillor and Vienna State Parliament member Alexander Ackerl representing Mayor Michael Ludwig.
City Councillor and chairwoman of the association “Save the Währing Jewish Cemetery,” Jennifer Kickert, greeted the group on a tour. Important memorial sites such as the Shoah Wall of Names and the Aspangbahnhof Memorial were also part of the visitor program. In addition, family research in the archive of the Jewish Community of Vienna was facilitated, visits to graves at the Vienna Central Cemetery were organized, and support in obtaining Austrian citizenship was also offered with the help of ESRA social workers www.esra.at.
More photos
https://www.facebook.com/JewishWelcomeVienna/
Media reports:
- “Welcome back” and old wounds in “Die Furche” (German language), March 27, 2026 (paywall)
- “A memory that remains” in “Der Sonntag” (German language), April 21, 2026 (paywall)
Short videos with interviews on the Vienna visit and the Jewish Welcome Service:
