The new building used bricks reclaimed from the synagogue destroyed on Kristallnacht (Wikipedia.) I felt sorrow watching your video and then chills seeing your photo of the man with a symbol of hatred emblazoned on his broad black-leathered back.
I hope you had good coffee and pastry on your trip.
Ok, the times are limited, but what are the warnings? I don’t like the building at all. It’s very cold looking. If you had said it was a converted crematorium I’d have believed it.
Like it or hate it, you gotta admit it’s clearly a building that costs a fair amount to maintain and, in the US, would be indicative of a healthy Jewish community because that’s a lot of dues.
It all comes down to the eagle pinned to his jacket. You can't see it in this photo (and it seemed unwise to ask him to pose for a clearer one), but it's clutching a laurel with 88 in it. 88 is a numerical code for Heil Hitler. Traditionally, the laurel would have contained a swastika, but that version are illegal enough in Austria that the symbol in the laurel is almost always a neo-Nazi workaround for the swastika for those few people brazen enough to wear one. In Germany, even with the 88 the pin would be illegal. I've been corrected about the laws in Austria. There only the swastika and SS rune are illegal.
The new building used bricks reclaimed from the synagogue destroyed on Kristallnacht (Wikipedia.) I felt sorrow watching your video and then chills seeing your photo of the man with a symbol of hatred emblazoned on his broad black-leathered back.
I hope you had good coffee and pastry on your trip.
I’m so glad that guy didn’t turn around and beat you up
People complain about the ways in which older women become invisible, but on this trip it has been my superpower.
I have only been asked for an ID at one American synagogue. Many have greeters who engage in conversation as to why you are there.
The key indicator of Jewish presence worldwide is a Chabad House. None shown for Graz.
Ok, the times are limited, but what are the warnings? I don’t like the building at all. It’s very cold looking. If you had said it was a converted crematorium I’d have believed it.
But you feel that way about mid century modernist design in all cases. It’s certainly not warm, but it’s… stately?
Uh…. no.
But impressive
Like it or hate it, you gotta admit it’s clearly a building that costs a fair amount to maintain and, in the US, would be indicative of a healthy Jewish community because that’s a lot of dues.
I don't recognize his emblems as Nazi. Maybe Nazi-esque?
It all comes down to the eagle pinned to his jacket. You can't see it in this photo (and it seemed unwise to ask him to pose for a clearer one), but it's clutching a laurel with 88 in it. 88 is a numerical code for Heil Hitler. Traditionally, the laurel would have contained a swastika, but that version are illegal enough in Austria that the symbol in the laurel is almost always a neo-Nazi workaround for the swastika for those few people brazen enough to wear one. In Germany, even with the 88 the pin would be illegal. I've been corrected about the laws in Austria. There only the swastika and SS rune are illegal.