President Isaac Herzog began his state visit to Austria on Tuesday, amid new political furor generated by a press release from his office on Monday, while he was still in Slovakia.
Deeply concerned at the growing rift between right and left-wing factors in Israel’s society, Herzog hopes to broker a deal between the coalition and the opposition whereby compromise can be attained and national unity restored.His offer to do so has been widely rejected by people on both sides.
Zionism, the ongoing fight against rising antisemitism and preservation of the memory of the Holocaust, were among the focal points of Herzog’s visit to the Austrian capital. But he did not evade the crisis situation at home.Herzog started his round of meetings with the leaders of the Austrian Jewish community headed by president Oskar Deutsch, as well as with leaders of Zionist youth movements.
In his address to Jewish community representatives, Herzog said that there are times during periods of crisis when leaders have the rare opportunity to reach out and come to an agreement. “This is one of those times. We are on the brink of Rosh Hashanah and the festivals of Tishrei. We are in a state of deep crisis – a crisis that has been going on for the past nine months. It is a crisis that impacts on our lives, our security, our economy, our society and our behavior. Enough!”
Herzog emphasized the need for broader mutual understanding, adding that he believed it was possible, and that it will not affect court or Knesset schedules. What it did affect, he said, was reality and the obligation to make a major effort to reach consensus.
The president called on Israel’s leadership to demonstrate responsibility, to look reality in the eye, to reach out to each other, and to come to an agreement on judicial reform, the relationship between the government, the legislature, and the judiciary, and the relationship between municipalities and the different authorities.
Herzog reiterated that all he has done in recent weeks is with the aim of safeguarding democracy.
Herzog on the diaspora Jewish community in Austria
Relating to the Austrian Jewish community, Herzog expressed appreciation for its work in promoting Jewish life and its dedication in standing up for Israel.
“This is one of the most important and fascinating Jewish communities in Europe,” he said. “We are speaking today about Israel, about Jewish education, and about the future of Zionism, more t
an a century after [Zionist visionary Theodor] Herzl himself lived and worked here in Vienna, as he laid the foundations of Zionism and the State of Israel.”
Austria maintains the largest Jewish infrastructure in Europe, Deutsch told Herzog, adding “Unfortunately, antisemitism still exists in this country today.”
He explained that anti-Jewish rhetoric from both the left and right posed a threat to the security of the Jewish community in Austria, and noted the important cooperation and support of the Austrian authorities and security services in helping secure Jewish schools.
Turning to the situation in Israel, Deutsch voiced support for Herzog’s efforts to reach a compromise in the current debate on judicial reform. “All of us are very confident that you, as a strong president of the State of Israel, will find solutions for the sake of democracy in Israel,” he said.
Among the participants at the meeting was Jewish member of the Austrian Parliament Martin Engelberg, who noted that there was a much more positive approach to Israel in Austria in recent years.
Herzog was later welcomed by Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen at the Hofburg Palace. At the luncheon hosted for him there Herzog said that the spirit of Herzl hovered over his historic visit to Vienna, the city in which Herzl wrote his book The State of the Jews, which inspired the concept of a modern state for the Jewish people – the State of Israel.
Herzog also referred to his earlier conversation with van der Bellen in which they discussed, among other things, the changing Middle East and threats against Israel.
Van der Bellen said that Israel was historically, albeit painfully, closer to Austria than most other countries.Israel also forces Austria to examine its own history, he commented. “We cannot and do not want to forget the persecution and deportation to death of tens of thousands Austrian Jews.”
Austria was late in struggling with this chapter in its history, he acknowledged, but today Austria has a duty and a responsibility to preserve the memory of the Holocaust.
Van der Bellen also referred to Herzl as “a great Austrian,” and reiterated his support for Herzog’s endeavors to find a way for opposing Israeli factions to reach a consensus.
In the early afternoon on Tuesday, Herzog and his wife Michal visited the Wall of Names and laid a wreath. The Wall was officially unveiled on November 9, 2021, on the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht – the night of the shattered glass, when Jewish religious buildings and commercial enterprises were attacked. The Wall, which is a Federal Government project, includes the names of 65,000 Jewish men, women, and children of Austrian nationality who were murdered by the Nazis.
Herzog later met with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, and with President of the Austrian Parliament Wolfgang Sobotka.
Before returning to Israel, he joined Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig, Austria’s Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution Karoline Edstadler, leaders of the World Zionist Organization, and members of Vienna’s Jewish community, at an unveiling ceremony at the former home of Herzl.
For this reason, it was particularly fitting that Herzog should visit Austria during Israel’s 75th anniversary year of independence.There are several Herzl memorials in Vienna, including a staircase in one of the most prestigious streets, and an actual street named for him.
In 2004, a Herzl Symposium was held in Vienna to mark the centenary of Herzl’s death in 1904.
Herzl died and was buried in Vienna, but in August, 1949, his remains were brought to Israel by plane and greeted on arrival by a large delegation of Israeli legislators. The coffin then lay in state in Tel Aviv for one day before being transferred to Mount Herzl in Jerusalem for reburial. While the coffin lay in state, then prime minister David Ben-Gurion organized a special session in the Knesset to mark the fact that Herzl’s last wish, to be buried in Israel, was being honored.