Anti-Semitism was and is a danger. A high-ranking Austrian delegation honors an old Austrian and faces a dark chapter.
Zvi Nigal’s look and voice are clear. Vulnerability is visibly foreign to him. emotion not. “I am deeply grateful. Now the circle is complete,” he says on the podium in the sheltered garden of the Austrian embassy in Herzliya. The circle is almost 100 years old. Zvi Nigal, born in Vienna in 1923 to Jewish parents, received Sunday the Simon Wiesenthal Prize for his efforts in the fight against anti-Semitism.
Nigal travels to Germany and Austria, where he lectures to school children. Tells his story. It is full of warnings. In 1939 he was a student himself. Was able to flee from the Nazis to Palestine. Fought in the British Army from 1941. Then for the building of the new state of Israel. His new home. His old one now honors him.
Old stereotypes and new hope
The prize is presented by the initiator, chairman of the National Council Wolfgang Sobotka. “Anti-Semitism is a uniquely negative way of thinking, an anti-democratic attitude.” Austria has long suppressed its dark past. Oskar Deutsch, president of the Jewish Community, is also in Israel. He warns: “The number of anti-Semitic incidents has risen sharply. You often hear again: the Jews are guilty.”
In addition to old stereotypes – including about Corona on the internet or at demos – imported Islamic anti-Semitism plays a role. English: “We already live safely in Austria. But you have to be vigilant.”
You can also visit Simon Wiesenthal’s grave. Most influential figure in dealing with Nazi crimes. His grandson is there. Also Ephraim Zuroff. The director of the Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem made a name for himself as a ‘Nazi fighter’. He remains critical: Austria was not seriously persecuted and was “always a country where Nazi sympathizers were welcome”.
The nearly 100-year-old Zvi Nigal looks straight ahead. “The boys listen. They record everything. Want to learn. That puts me in a positive mood.”
Source: Krone
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