Rosh Hashonah services, which are being observed here freely for the first time in seven years, were held in the 130-year-old Stadt Temple and in the Vienna Concert House. The occasion brought together over 1,000 Jews from widely scattered parts of the world.
Almost half of the participants were Allied uniforms, while among the civilians were many who had been in concentration camps in Poland, Germany and Austria. At Stadt Temple Chief Rabbi Isidor Oehler officiated, assisted by two cantors. Among the American soldiers present were several who had fled Hitler’s Reich to avoid anti-Jewish persecutions. U.S. women soldiers also attended. Among those present were men and women from New York, Brooklyn, St. Louis and other cities.
While proud to participate in the services of the Viennese Jews, the soldiers expressed regret that no American Jewish chaplain was here to take part. Although there are several thousand Jewish soldiers in Vienna, there is no Jewish chaplain.
Plans have already been completed here for Yom Kippur services which will be held at the Stadt Temple and the Concert House, as well as the Hotel Continental.
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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.
