Election campaigning has already begun in the Vienna Jewish Community in preparation for the forthcoming community-wide balloting for council member scheduled for April 11.
Four slates are in the field. They are the Jewish Unity Party, headed by David Brill, incumbent, president of the community; the Organization of Jewish Merchants, headed by Aaron Ehrlich, longtime political foe of Brill; the Jewish Socialist Party, supported by the Austrian Social Democratic Party; and a slate representing all Zionist groups in the city. The Zionists have demanded that affiliation with Austrian political parties should not be an issue in the elections and that only “purely Jewish” problems should occupy the attention of the 24 councilors.
Under recently-adopted regulations, community elections oust be held every two years. The last voting toot place April 11, 1946. There are some 5,700 resident Austrian Jews eligible to vote and under a new ruling an additional 1,300 displaced Jews who have been in Vienna for six months will also be allowed to cast ballots. Some 2,000 other DP Jews will not have the necessary residence qualifications for voting on April 11.
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