After the escalation of violence in Israel, the Jews in Styria are also on the alert. There have already been Palestinian rallies in Vienna that have caused a lot of criticism. This is the situation in Graz.
The attack is well remembered by Elie Rosen and the Jewish community in Graz: in 2020, a man attacked the community’s president with a baseball bat. The synagogue was damaged during this and before. Outrage and successful investigations followed, and politicians also became active. Since then, the synagogue on Grazer Grieskai has been guarded during office hours and during events. “This is very satisfactory protection of the property,” says Elie Rosen, also in view of the attacks on Israel by Hamas. “There could be more in the evening and night hours.” Increased surveillance because the tensions can also be felt in the communities in Austria. While politics and diplomacy expressed solidarity with Israel, there was already a small Palestinian rally in Vienna. According to the Interior Ministry, surveillance of Jewish objects will now become more intensive. This is also confirmed by a spokesman for the Styrian State Police Directorate: “We ask for your understanding that we cannot provide any further information for tactical reasons.” “Concern” in the community How is the Jewish community doing? “This naturally caused us concern. We would not have expected this violence against Israel. “Israel survives with very good intelligence and defense – so it was very surprising,” says Rosen.
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