History of the Jews in Innsbruck

The Jewish Community of Tyrol and Vorarlberg has its headquarters in Innsbruck and is the Jewish community of the two westernmost Austrian provinces. Today it represents about 150 people.

History

The original center of the Jewish community was in Hohenems, although since the 13th century lived and individual Jews in the territory of the county of Tyrol. In 1617, a letter of protection of Count Kaspar von Hohenems laid the legal basis for the settlement of Jewish families and the establishment of a Jewish community in Hohenems. The Imperial Count thereby hoped to economic impetus for its market. In the 17th century there were expulsions. Many Jewish Hohenems attracted to neighboring Sulz, where it 1748 again came to an expulsion. But after the Jewish families to return to Hohenems was allowed flourished the Jewish community. It came to build a synagogue, a ritual bath ( mikveh ), a poor home and a cemetery was established. Until the first half of the 19th century the town grew steadily, the Fundamental Laws of 1867 and the associated free choice of residence for Jews then led to a strong migration to cities.

In Innsbruck end of the 19th century, a community was formed. Since the Hohenems community at the beginning of the 20th century was only very small, moved the Hohenems Rabbi Josef link 1914 Innsbruck. At this time the local community had a size of about 500 members. However, plans to build its own synagogue were not realized. Despite a traditional Christian anti-Judaism, due to the strength and influence of the Catholic Church and the Christian Social Party and later the Fatherland Front in Tyrol, and an appreciating racial anti-Semitism, the community lived relatively unmolested to "port" to Nazi Germany. In the Kristallnacht in November 1938 there were serious riots in Innsbruck. Four community members were murdered by SS men in civilian. Gauleiter Franz Hofer, a staunch and brutal Nazi, declared the goal of making his Gau Tirol -Vorarlberg as soon as possible " free of Jews ". By 1939, most of the Jewish or declared by the Nazis to racist criteria to Jews population was expelled from the district or deported to transit camp to Vienna. At least half of these people were either murdered in camps, took his own life or was put to death otherwise.

After 1945 returned only a fraction of survivors, mostly elderly, to the Tyrol and Vorarlberg back. In March 1952, the " cult of Innsbruck for the states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg " was erected legally again. For decades, the Jewish community led a shadowy existence, even the official Tirol built long time no monument or memorial to the crimes of National Socialism. In the Zollernstraße the small Jewish community took place in a prayer room a home. In 1991 started the construction of a synagogue in Sillgasse and 1993, the synagogue was built.

Current situation

There is again an active church life at the beginning of the 21st century. By influx the town end of the 20th century had grown to over 100 people. In Hohenems Jewish Museum was built, which documents the history of the local Jewish community. The former synagogue of Hohenems was renovated in 2003 and named after a native of the parish cantor Salomon Sulzer hall.

President of the Jewish Community since 1986 Esther Fritsch. Rabbi is the Vienna Chief Rabbi Paul Chaim Eisenberg.

References

• Website of the Jewish Community
• Jewish Museum Hohenems

• Jewish community in Austria
• Religion (Tirol )
• Religion ( Vorarlberg)