VIENNA – The Austrian Jewish community and the World Jewish Congress today hosted President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker for his first official visit to the Stadttempel (Seitenstettengasse Temple), the main synagogue in Vienna. Both the WJC and the Austrian Jewish Community expressed faith in the European Commission’s commitment to solving the problems faced by European Jews.
President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S Lauder, said: “We are honored that Mr. Juncker has chosen to take this time to visit members of the Vienna Jewish community and the World Jewish Congress at this historic house of worship, and we look forward to working closely together for the benefit of Jews both in Austria and in all of Europe.”
President of the Austrian Jewish Community, Oskar Deutsch, said: “This visit highlights the extraordinary relationship between President Juncker and Austrian Jews. Europe today faces a frightening rise in antisemitism – from the right, the left and Islamists – as well as populism. Today the security of Jewish communities is often at risk. During his tenure, President Juncker has taken these threats seriously and stated that while security is a core responsibility of the Member States, the EU commission will continue to take the initiative.”
“We hope that Mr. Juncker will continue to underscore this crucial message, and that he and his colleagues will engage frankly with the WJC on the critical issues facing Jews across the continent,” Deutsch said. “We are lucky that in Austria, we have found unprecedented awareness on the part of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, and we have faith we will find the same level of sensitivity from the European Commission.”
President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and President of the Austrian Jewish Community Oskar Deutsch at the Stadttempel in Vienna on 5 October 2018. (c) World Jewish Congress
