Spitzenvertreter jüdischer Organisationen und EU-Politiker diskutierten bei der Konferenz gegen Antisemitismus und Antizionismus in Wien über Strategien, das jüdische Leben in Europa zu sichern. Österreichs Bundeskanzler Sebastian Kurz verwies auf die "besondere Verantwortung" Österreichs wegen der Mittäterschaft in der Shoah. Erst wenn Juden in Österreich, Israel und auf der ganzen Welt in Frieden und Freiheit leben können, "sind wir unserer historischen Verantwortung auch gerecht geworden", betonte der Bundeskanzler. 

Kurz bezeichnete es als "unglaublich", dass Antisemitismus auch knapp 100 Jahre nach der Shoah noch existiere. Er wies darauf hin, dass bei der Wiener Konferenz erstmals auch explizit der Antizionismus angesprochen werde. Erst in seiner Zeit als Außenminister sei ihm bewusst geworden, dass Antisemitismus und Antizionismus "heute Hand in Hand gehen und oft zwei Seiten einer Medaille sind", bekannte sich Kurz zum Eintreten für die Sicherheit Israels. 

Vor der Rede des Kanzlers hatte sich der israelische Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanyahu in einer Videobotschaft an die Konferenz gewandt und die Initiative des österreichischen EU-Ratsvorsitzes gelobt. "Der Holocaust hat nicht in den Gaskammern von Auschwitz begonnen", mahnte Netanyahu dazu, schon frühzeitig gegen Hass einzutreten, "wenn man noch verhindern kann, dass schlimme Dinge schlimmer werden".

Netanyahu’s Message to the Conference on the Fight against Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism

"Warmest greetings from Jerusalem to the conference on the fight against antisemitism and anti-Zionism. They are one. This is the first and most essential point of this conference. I thank Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, my friend, and the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union for convening such an important gathering in Vienna.

 

Chancellor Kurz, Sebastian, you are a true friend of Israel, a true friend of the Jewish people. I thank you for taking such a strong moral stand against antisemitism. You have been unyielding in your efforts to recognize history, to defend the truth and to combat antisemitism in Austria and throughout Europe.

 

Last week we marked the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. You stated that such a date is a reminder of the "historic responsibility to fight all forms of antisemitism, be it the old kind or newly imported."

 

This conference represents an opportunity to promote concrete steps to combat all forms of antisemitism.

 

The Holocaust did not begin, of course, in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. The Holocaust began with hateful words, burning books, shattering storefronts. The lesson of the Holocaust is that we must never forget the importance of fighting hate, barbarism and radicalism, and to do so early on when you can still stop bad things from getting worse.

Today, we are experiencing a resurgence of antisemitism worldwide. We once again hear false and dehumanizing allegations against Jews. We see attempts to kill or harm Jews in the name of radical ideologies. And since the establishment of the State of Israel, we face a new form of antisemitism: vicious efforts to demonize the Jewish State and deny the Jewish people the right to self-determination in our ancestral homeland, the Land of Israel.

 

When every nation is allowed to define its flag, its national anthem, its national identity, except for the Jewish people, this is antisemitism.

 

We must all join hands to combat traditional and modern forms of antisemitism. The first step to combat antisemitism is to define it. The Israeli government, along with seven other European governments, including Austria, has adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism. I urge all countries to adopt this definition and to increase their efforts to combat antisemitism and its modern manifestation, anti-Zionism. There is only one remedy for slander, and that is the truth.

 

I commend all of you that are gathered today as you stand up for the truth. I once again thank Chancellor Kurz for convening this momentous conference. We are fighting for our common future, our common civilization, and we shall win."

Sehen Sie hier die Rede des israelischen Premiers​.