Movement of Desertion Threatens Vienna Jewish Community

(By Our Vienna Correspondent)

The ever-growing movement of desertion from the Jewish community in Vienna has reached the point where it constitutes the chief problem of all Jewish parties here. Each week brings a list of many who have resigned from the Kehillah. Entire families, parents and children. abanden in a most irresponsible manner the last fortress of the Diaspora-the Jewish kultus-geneinde-tearing asunder openly and demonstratively the last weak thread that still bound them to the Jewish fold.

There are various reasons for this movement. Every political group in Vienna Jewry has a different explanation and offers a different solution for the problem. But in one respect, nearly all of them agree: that the Kehillah. with its political and spiritual representatives and its educational institutions, should do much more than it is now doing in respect to the education of the Jewish youth. On the question, however, of how this should be done there is no agreement at all.

In certain general Jewish and Zionist circles, the chief cause for the movement of desertion is seen in the so-called “rec assimilation.” There is no doubt that the Austrian Social Democratic party and its adherents, especially in Vienna, are conducting a determined assimilationist policy in regard to the Jews. The Social Democratic Party would like to solve the question of the Austrian Jews through complete religious and national dissolution of the Jewish community, and it is doing everything within its power to encourage and hasten this process. The Social Democratic Party of Vienna is particularly outspoken in its anti-religious principles and is associated with the free thinkers movement, which it supports politically. morally and financially. A number of apostate Jews are playing a very important role in these movements.

There are others, however, who maintain that, while it is true that the Austrian Social Democratic elements are inspired with such motives, especially on the part of those leaders of the movement who are either convert from Judaism or outspoken Jewish assimilationists. the real reason for the movement of desertion is to be found elsewhere. It is claimed that the real cause for this state of afairs is the fact that the Kehillah holds no attraction for the Jewish population, especially the youth. Consequently, it is urged that the way to remedy the situation is to reorganise the Jewish community into a more popular democratic body and to imbue it with Nationalistic and Zionist cultural and social ideals.

This naturally constitutes a point of division for the various Jewish bodies and the controversy is strong enough to present a real danger to the Vienna Jewish community, the second largest Jewish community in Europe. For in the preoccupation with this dispute, the Jewish parties and organizations are doing nothing effective to counteract the ever-growing desertion movement.

The so-called assimilationist majority of the Kehillah is naturally opposed to any step that may lead to a strengthening of the nationalistic spirit among the Jews. During the life of Dr. Zevi Perez Chajes, the Chief Rabbi, he succeeded to a large extent, through his immense authority and influence, in forcing from the assimilationists numerous concessions, especially in regard to national cultural institutions and work among the Jewish youth. Now that Dr. Chajes has passed away, this element is beginning to withdraw so that not only the activities among the youth but even the work of the important cultural institutions which were created by the late Chief Rabbi are threatened with extinction unless support comes from abroad. The assimilationist majority explains its retreat on the ground of the passive budget of the Kehillah. but it is well understood that their attitude is founded on political motives, in other words, it is a move against the Zionists and the Jewish Nationalists.

The controversy has even invaded the ranks of the Zionists. The adherents of the Jewish Agency would be willing to compromise with the assimilarionists. explaining their motives as follows: In the first place, the Agudists and assimilationists are prepared to leave the Kehillah and to create a separate Kehillah, thus splitting the Jewish community; secondly, the assimilationsts would cease to support the Jewish funds as well as the national schools. On the other hand, the radical Zionists, the Revisionists and the Poale Zion, contend that the whole thing is based on political strategy, that the present majority does not give its support financially out of conviction or because it desires to, but because it is compelled to do so by the strong Zionist minority in the Kehillah. The radical Zionists are not afraid of a split in the Kehillah for, they argue, no Jewish group in Vienna would dare today to launch an experiment which would provoke popular indignation. They demand, therefore, the immediate institution of popular elections to the Kehillah and an extensive propaganda among the Jewish public to arouse a keener interest in the affairs of the community.

In the meantime, the controversy among the Zionist groups has become acute. Robert Stricker and Plaschkes have resigned from their Kehillah posts and the other Zionist officers do not want to take up the opposition against the majority. These internal wranglings and disagreements are impeding the work of the Jewish community, while the movement of desertion from the Jewish fold goes on with no solution in sight.