Austrian Zionism and the Jews of the New Europe

Abstract

From the perspective of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the situation was clear. In October 1999, Austria's general elections had brought significant gains for the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) of Jörg Haider. The negotiations that followed were watched closely, and, when it became apparent at the end of January 2000 that the FPÖ would be part of the new government coalition, the reaction was as swift as it was predictable. On February 7, the treasurer of the Jewish Agency, Chaim Chesler, called on all the Jews of Austria to immigrate to Israel immediately. 1