Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06VIENNA3407
2006-11-27 14:54:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Vienna
Cable title:  

Vandal Trashes Jewish School in Vienna

Tags:  KNAR PHUM PGOV AU 
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VZCZCXRO9146
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVI #3407 3311454
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271454Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5630
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS VIENNA 003407 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR DRL/SEAS, EUR/OHI, EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KNAR PHUM PGOV AU
SUBJECT: Vandal Trashes Jewish School in Vienna


THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT
ACCORDINGLY. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.

UNCLAS VIENNA 003407

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR DRL/SEAS, EUR/OHI, EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KNAR PHUM PGOV AU
SUBJECT: Vandal Trashes Jewish School in Vienna


THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT
ACCORDINGLY. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.


1. (SBU) Summary: A prominent Jewish school in Vienna, the Lauder
Chabad School, was the subject of a destructive rampage early Sunday
morning. The suspect, who seems to have acted alone, reportedly
identified himself to police at his arrest as "Adolf Hitler."
However, it remains unclear whether the man had a political motive,
or was simply deranged. There was no guard at the school at the
time of the attack. The Vienna Jewish Community (IKG) explained
that it could not provide 24-hour security coverage. Vienna's
Christian and Muslim communities expressed solidarity with the
Jewish community over the incident. The school is a project of the
Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, a charity of the former U.S. Ambassador
to Austria. End Summary.


1. (U) At about 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 26, a man broke into
Vienna's Lauder Chabad School, a facility that educates some 360
children. The man then went on a rampage, breaking windows, glass
doors and showcases with an iron rod. No one from the school was
present during the attack, and there were no injuries. The school
was in session as usual on Monday, November 27, the worse for wear
but open for business.


2. (SBU) Police arrested the man, a roughly 30-year-old reportedly
of Croatian origin, as soon as he left the building. School board
head Rabbi Jacob Biderman told journalists that the man told the
police that he was "Adolf Hitler." Police reports record that the
man said he "does not like Jews." Nevertheless, police have not yet
determined whether the man had neo-Nazi links, or was simply
deranged.


3. (SBU) Biderman's office told us it was rather hard to believe
that a single person could have done all the damage, especially
because some of the destroyed glass was bulletproof. However, no/no
evidence has yet turned up that would indicate the involvement of
anyone besides the suspect in custody.


4. (SBU) The school was not under guard at the time of the attack.
Ariel Muzicant, the President of the Jewish Community (IKG),
explained at a press conference that the IKG simply did not have the
financial resources to provide 24-hour guards at the 40 Jewish
institutions in Vienna. As a result, there is a guard presence only
when students and staff are present. However, Muzicant said, the
IKG will have to look into expanding the school's security measures.
IKG Executive Director Erika Jakubovits told us the IKG was
concerned about the emotional impact of the attack, both on the
school's students and on the broader Jewish community. (Note: The
Austrian government contributes funds toward IKG security needs.
The government has also offered to provide police coverage, and does
so in the case of some facilities. However, the IKG has rejected
police coverage in many cases, arguing that it needs more
specialized security services, and has called instead for increased
funding. End note.)


5. (U) The Muslim Community (IGGO) expressed deep concern over the
attack. IGGO integration representative Omar Al Rawi termed it an
"assault against open, tolerant Vienna." Christoph Cardinal
Schoenborn called the attack an "act of barbarism." Citing the
school's role as a symbol of the reconstruction of the Jewish
community after the Holocaust, he strongly condemned anti-Semitic
talk as "absolutely unacceptable." Similarly, the Austrian
Protestant Church and the Austrian Ecumenical Council expressed
"shock and disgust" over the attack.


6. (SBU) The Lauder Chabad School is a project of the Ronald S.
Lauder Foundation, a charitable organization under the sponsorship
of former U.S. Ambassador to Austria Ronald Lauder. The school
seeks to reinvigorate Jewish life in Vienna. The Foundation's
website notes, "the curriculum, designed to develop proud, informed
young Jews, focuses on the creative teaching of Hebrew, Talmud and
Jewish history in addition to high-level secular studies." The
Foundation sponsored the construction of the present school building
in 1999. Muzicant has often expressed regret to us for the fact
that the Foundation chose to build a largely glass construction,
making it extremely vulnerable to attack. While the Foundation pays
the school's operating costs, the IKG is responsible for security,
Muzicant told us.