The New Year’s Eve celebration arranged by the Austrian Players Association turned into a near riot because of anti-Semitic sentiment which got the upper hand.
The hilarious audience attending the celebration started to protest against the inclusion of Jewish songs in the program, shouting, “Pfui, what a shame ! Jewish songs besmirch German Vienna.” Chairs and umbrellas were thrown into the air, while the Jews present in the audience applauded the performers. The situation was saved by the orchestra leader, who started to play the Waltz of the Danube.
In order to check the rising antagonisms, the powers behind the stage hurriedly changed the program and sent the ballet on the stage. This soothed the uproarious audience.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
