The American Jewish Congress has announced that it is suspending all tours to Austria, saying the election of Kurt Waldheim as President “has made it impossible to feel comfortable in that country.”
“We have taken this action … because it reflects our dismay that a majority of Austrians should have made the dismal choice of electing Waldheim despite the revelations of his Nazi war-time record and his unrepentant efforts both to suppress the truth and to justify his action,” the AJC said.
The announcement was made by Geoffrey Weill, director of the AJC international travel program, the largest Jewish group travel enterprise. Weil said: “The unprecedented implications of Waldheim’s election by a majority of Austrian voters makes it entirely inappropriate for us to continue to include Austria in our travel itineraries.” This year, Austria was scheduled as a major stop on 14 AJC tours.
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