New Leadership in Vienna Wiesenthal Institute

UNCLAS VIENNA 001478

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM AU
SUBJECT: New Leadership in Vienna Wiesenthal Institute

REF: Vienna 987


1. (U) As a result of the dispute between the Vienna Wiesenthal
Institute (VWI) and the Vienna Jewish Community (IKG) over access to
the IKG's archives, which had triggered the resignation of the VWI
leadership in August (reftel),the VWI elected a new board in early
November. Law historian Georg Graf is the new Board Chairman;
Brigitte Bailer-Galanda from the Documentation Center of the
Austrian Resistance Movement stayed on as First Deputy Chairwoman;
and IKG President Ariel Muzicant is the new Second Deputy Chairman.



2. (U) The new board has settled the issue of access to the IKG
archives with a contract that provides IKG control over access to
the archives, but generally promises to make "Holocaust-related
material" available. The former VWI leadership has heavily
criticized the new conditions, arguing that they will make
independent research impossible. Due to this, 12 of the VWI
advisory board's 15 members have now also resigned, among them
renowned international Holocaust experts such as Honorary Board
Chairman Jehuda Bauer from the Jerusalem Hebrew University.

Comment
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3. (SBU) The IKG's protective approach regarding its archives is
attributable to fears that internal IKG matters could become public,
such as squabbles between the orthodox and reformed wings. There
are also sensitivities regarding the material on the role of the IKG
in passing on records on Jews in Austria to the National Socialist
regime. After the current clash of personalities has ebbed, time
will tell how the IKG will implement the agreement on the use of its
archives and whether research opportunities at the VWI are seriously
affected by a restrictive IKG course. The new leadership consists
of capable and dedicated researchers who wanted to enter a
compromise and start a new beginning for the VWI.