The BIG apology

The BIG apology

The bus delivers us to the capital building (Bundeskanzler) to have our audience with the Prime Minister. We are seated in an opulent and ornate room with 20 foot ceilings and lots of gold leaf. (They LOVE their gold leaf in Austria) This is actually more castle than capital. Actually it was a castle in the beginning.

                                                                                                                                                                      

Right on schedule Christian Kern, Prime Minister and acting President, enters and shakes everyone’s hand before taking the microphone, like any other good politician. He is acting President, because Austria is having another election on December 4^th, when a final section will be made. The previous election was voided because the voting apparatus was faulty and it had to be redone. (I digress to note the irony of a man named “Christian” apologizing to Jews for the behavior of Nazis. Anyone else see this juxtaposition as symbolic?)

The PM is a trim man in his forties who was previously CEO of the state run railroad. His remarks are not read from notes, but spoken extemporaneously and seem to be sincere. He apologized for Austria’s part in our group’s family’s painful experience.  He said he was embarrassed that Austria does not teach its schoolchildren about the events of the 1930s and 1940s. They skip over that pesky Hitler period. He explained that his grandfather was a servant to a wealthy Jewish family that perished in the war.  His mother, who is now 88, took food and water to the Jewish family doctor and his wife who were hiding from the Nazis.  One day she went to deliver their supplies and they were gone never to be seen again.

 After photos with the PM, he departed and we had a tour of the rooms in that part of the capital. We met the PM in a conference room that survived Allied bombing in WWII. The next room over is the President’s ceremonial office and conference room.  It has been restored to original condition as it was flattened during the war.

Since Austria has no President, I took the desk and offered to fill in until the election. (I am seated at Kurt Waldheim’s ceremonial desk ). As you can see Susan just wanted to be queen instead of an elected position so she is posed under Emperor Franz Joseph’s portrait.  After a light lunch in the capital, we walked back to our hotel, only a mile away.

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Big doings this afternoon and evening.

We walked to the Synagogue for Friday services. Security is on high alert. The police are guarding the doors with their ubiquitous Glock handguns, but one is carrying a sub machinegun. We are checked into the Synagogue by a security staff who examines our passports that they compare to a list and then they question each of us individually and ask us to turn on or cell phones so they can see the screen illuminated.

In this ancient, orthodox congregation (that survived the burnings on Kristelnacht) the men and women are separated. Men downstairs, women on the balcony. Some men are wearing black hats, all the others yalamukes.  Many have prayer shawls over their shoulders. 

The place is a cacophony of sound. While the Rabbi speaks, everyone in the congregation is shaking hands and talking loudly. The Cantor is leading men on the bemah in song and dance whilst the congregation may or may not join in. Some are reading aloud from prayer books throughout the service. Children run wild through the sanctuary and are given lollipops and other sweets by the men.  Everyone except the women seems to be having a marvelous time. After an hour and a half of nonstop German and Hebrew and noise the service is ended with the English speakers being none the wiser.

The after service dinner is served restaurant style and consists of good Kosher food, well prepared and tasty. Jews can always do food outstandingly and tonight was no exception.

But we had to depart dinner a bit early to walk about a block the Shakespeare Book store where Mark Jacobson was doing a reading of his book “Sensing Light” The crowded shop was set up with folding chairs and an attentive crowd who heard Mark present an excellent review of his new novel and read some passages for us. The audience asked some thoughtful questions and Mark was coaxed into revealing that he has another novel in progress.

Just another routine day huh?  One spent with the Prime Minister of Austria, some old school Jews and a budding novelist.