Israel in Austria | Israelis in Vienna | Bilateral Relations - Vindobona.org

Fight Against Anti-Semitism - The Jewish Community in NYC and Austria

As part of his trip to the USA, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz met David Harris, Executive Director of the AJC American Jewish Committee, and once again Holocaust survivor Rabbi Arthur Schneier.

February 21, 2019

Israel and Austria Sign Agreement on Continued Business Cooperation

On the sidelines of the state visit to Israel and the Austrian-Israeli Business Forum at the Hotel Intercontinental in Tel Aviv, the Economy ministers from Israel and Austria signed an agreement to accelerate business and entrepreneurial cooperation.

February 6, 2019

Visit to the Palestinian Territories: Austria's Van der Bellen for a Two-State Solution

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah: "We are friends of Israel AND of the Palestinians. We want to deepen relations with both sides". Mahmoud Abbas thanked Austria for the "historical relationships" cultivated since Bruno Kreisky.

February 5, 2019

Israel State Visit: "Austria is jointly responsible for the Shoah"

During his state visit to Israel, Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen emphasised Austria's co-responsibility for the Shoah. In the Holocaust memorial Jad Vaschem Van der Bellen bowed before the Jewish victims of National Socialism. Meanwhile, as expected, there is no lifting of the boycott against Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl or members of the Freedom Party's cabinet.

February 4, 2019

Business Mission and "Future Trip" to Tel Aviv as Part of the State Visit of Van der Bellen

On the occasion of the official state visit of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WKO) is organising an economic mission entitled "Infrastructure" as well as the "Open Innovation for Corporates" future trip to Tel Aviv.

February 4, 2019

Austrian-Israeli Economic Relations - 20% Increase in Exports

On the occasion of the official state visit of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and the accompanying business delegation of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, the issue of the actual state of economic relations has arisen. The Austrian-Israeli foreign trade volume amounted to 568 million euros in 2017, with a trade balance surplus for Austria of 229 million euros. The Chamber of Commerce reports that Austrian exports to Israel increased by 20.3% in 2017. The trend seems to have continued in 2018. More than 600,000 overnight stays by Israeli tourists make Israel one of the top nations in Austrian tourism statistics.

February 4, 2019

Meet the Ambassador of the State of Israel to Austria: H.E. Ms. Talya Lador-Fresher

Ambassador Talya Lador-Fresher has been Ambassador of the State of Israel in Austria since 2015 and is Israel's permanent representative at the International Organizations in Vienna. She once told "The Diplomatic Club", that "It is hard to be a diplomat, it is harder to be an Israeli diplomat and even harder to be an Israeli woman diplomat."

January 30, 2019

Holocaust Remembrance Day in Vienna: "We Remember"

On 27 January, the 74th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp by the Red Army was celebrated. On the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day various commemorative events were held in Vienna, among others by the Vienna Israelite Community at Heldenplatz.

January 29, 2019

New Austrian Foreign Trade Strategy: Growth, Jobs, Prosperity

In a joint event in the Aula of Sciences, the Federal Government's new foreign trade strategy was presented by Economics Minister Margarete Schramböck, Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl and President of the Chamber of Commerce Harald Mahrer. The key points of the strategy are the following: Perspective, value orientation, location effect, focal points, future orientation, communication, efficient coordination.

December 20, 2018

Anti-Semitism Conference in Vienna - Austria to Win Israel's Favor

A high-ranking conference against antisemitism with the motto "Europe beyond Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism - Securing Jewish Life in Europe" took place in Vienna. Participants included Ariel Muzicant, Vice-President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), Education Minister Heinz Faßmann, EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, EPP Group Leader Manfred Weber, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Anatoliyovych Klimkin and Chancellor Kurz. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had had to cancel his participation at short notice because of the government crisis in his home country. Likewise not a single official representative of the Austrian Freedom Party was present.

November 22, 2018

80 Years of November Pogrom - Remembrance at the Site of the Former Leopoldstadt Temple, at Judenplatz near the Shoah Memorial and in Parliament

Austria commemorated the events 80 years ago. Austrian Shoah survivors from Israel received in Parliament at the Hofburg. President of the National Council Sobotka asked Austrian Shoah survivors for forgiveness. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen already reminded the day before at a commemoration ceremony of the November pogroms at the Psychosocial Centre of the Vienna Israelite Community. On the commemoration day he laid a wreath at the Shoah memorial on Judenplatz.

November 9, 2018

Erection of the Vienna Shoah Memorial Wall about to Begin

The long-planned project of a name memorial wall for the 66,000 Jews murdered in Austria during National Socialism is about to be realized. Kurt Tutter, initiator of the name wall, explained the significance of the new memorial, which will be erected in Ostarrichi Park. For him, it was a matter of commemorating his family as well as families unknown to him who had been completely wiped out by Nazi crimes.

November 9, 2018

Reception for Holocaust Survivors in the Austrian Parliament: "Never again!"

Rabbi Arthur Schneier from New York, speaking at the reception for Holocaust survivors in parliament, called for a common commitment to "Never again" and to live together in peace and mutual respect.

November 9, 2018

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Vienna

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen during a stopover in Vienna. Bilateral relations and the situation in the Middle East were discussed.

October 12, 2018

Israel - Austria Relations: Lifting of Sanctions Against Kneissl is Nearing

According to information in the daily newspapers "Die Presse" and "Der Standard" on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Israel plans to lift its ban on contacts with Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl. Netanyahu ordered Israeli authorities in December 2017 to refrain from contacts with FPÖ ministers. Although Kneissl is not a party member, she has been nominated by the Austrian Freedom Party FPÖ. However, the official Israeli contact ban will continue to apply to FPÖ government members.

September 26, 2018

Intercultural Achievement Award Fosters Dialogue Between Cultures

The Austrian Foreign Ministry presented the Intercultural Achievement Award (IAA) for the fifth time. The award honours inspiring projects in civil society that foster intercultural dialogue and coexistence. This time the award for sustainability went to a project from Mozambique. Ambassador Jörg Wojahn, the Representation of the European Commission in Vienna, and Secretary General of the OSCE Thomas Greminger used the dialogue-based work of their own institutions as a starting point and awarded prizes to projects from Ukraine and Tunisia.

September 14, 2018

Review of the State Visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Austria

After the visit in March 2016, which was cancelled at short notice, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was on a state visit to Vienna this week, accompanied by massive anti-Iran protests. The aim of the visit was a joint commitment to the Iran nuclear deal after the deal was approved in Vienna three years ago. The visit was overshadowed by a diplomatic case involving an employee of the Iranian embassy in Vienna, who had been arrested last weekend by the German judicial authorities on the basis of a European arrest warrant on suspicion of terrorism.

July 5, 2018

Austrian Military Investigation into the Golan Heights Ambush: Soldiers' Actions Correct

In September 2012, Austrian UN soldiers on the Golan did not prevent Syrian security forces from entering a deadly ambush. The disciplinary assessment concludes that the conduct of Austria's soldiers had been stressful, but correct, so that the soldiers do not need to be prosecuted.

June 5, 2018

The Vienna Salons: Networking and Emancipation for 200 Years

What made the Vienna salons the places to be between 1780 and 1938 would be described today as networking in the best sense. Mostly shaped by their Jewish hostesses, these communication spaces were also spaces of emancipation and empowerment in two respects: for women who were still excluded from public life, and for the development of a critical, middle-class civic society.

May 31, 2018

Flight Connection Kuwait-Vienna Carries Arab-Israeli Conflict to Austria

State-owned Kuwait Airways, which will resume operations between Kuwait and Vienna in early June for the summer months, does not carry Israeli citizens. The official reason is a Kuwaiti law from 1964, which bans all companies of the 3.5 million inhabitant oil state from doing business with Israelis.

May 29, 2018

Austrian Exports to the Palestinian Territories Better than Ever

Despite the current tensions between the State of Palestine and Austria over the participation of Ambassador Martin Weiss in the US Embassy Opening Ceremonies, the Austrian Foreign Trade Centers Amman and Tel Aviv are planning a Fact Finding Mission to Ramallah and Amman for the second half of 2018. Austrian exports of goods to the Palestinian Territories increased by +108% in 2017.

May 17, 2018

US Embassy Opening in Jerusalem: Palestinian Ambassador to Austria Called Back to Palestine in Protest

The Austrian Ambassador to Israel, Martin Weiss, was one of only four EU Ambassadors (Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania) who participated in the celebrations surrounding the US embassy relocation to Jerusalem. The Palestinian leadership pointed out some time ago that not only the act but also the timing is a violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions, as well as arrogant disrespect. Therefore, the Palestinian Ambassador to Austria, Salah Abdel Shafi, has been called back to Palestine for an indefinite period of time.

May 16, 2018

Update of Austria's Probe of UN Golan Troops Over Deaths of Syrians

According to media reports, the video, which shows the fatal incident in September 2012 on the Golan Heights, when Austrian blue helmet soldiers sent 9 Syrian security forces into a deadly ambush, was used as a "training film". In parallel with these reports, the former Defence Minister points out that the start of the Syrian Civil War has removed the basis of the UN mandate, which should focus exclusively on monitoring the ceasefire between Syria and Israel.

May 4, 2018

Teddy Kollek Exhibition at the Jewish Museum Vienna

Teddy Kollek, who grew up in Vienna, and as mayor of Jerusalem for nearly three decades did more to build and develop the city as Israel’s primary city than any other figure while still seeking to meet the needs of its Arab residents, died in 2007 in Jerusalem. The Jewish Museum in Vienna is showing a retrospective entitled "Teddy Kollek - The Viennese Mayor of Jerusalem".

May 1, 2018

Presentation of the First Ari Rath Prize for Critical Journalism

Journalist Alexandra Föderl-Schmid will be awarded the First Ari-Rath Prize for Critical Journalism on 3 May 2018, the Day of Freedom of the Press. This prize was established to honour journalists who have rendered outstanding services to critical reporting on immigration, expulsion and asylum, committed to respect for human rights, in the spirit of the former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, who died in January 2017.

April 23, 2018

New Double Taxation Agreement Between Israel and Austria

After almost 50 years, a new double taxation agreement (DTA) for income and capital taxes was signed between Israel and Austria, which includes substantial tax relief.

April 10, 2018

Simplified Naturalisations in Austria for Families of Nazi Refugees

Austria plans to facilitate dual citizenship for the descendants of Nazi displaced persons.

March 15, 2018

IIASA Builds Bridge through Science with Israel

The Laxenburg based international research organization IIASA (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis) has recently announced that Israel has become its newest member country. Israel joins 24 other countries whose National Member Organization’s representatives constitute the IIASA Governing Council. Israel has established the Israel Committee for IIASA - made up of representatives from Israeli universities, government ministries, and the public - to represent the Israeli membership of IIASA.

February 19, 2018

20 Years Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT): Ministerial Meeting at VIC

Marking the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a Ministerial Meeting was held at Vienna International Center. Hosting some 40 international organizations, Austria is a hub for the promotion of peace, safety and security, sustainable development and the fight against crime, drug abuse and terrorism.

June 20, 2016

Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Council of Ministers Places 27 New Diplomats at Head of Embassies

The Council of Ministers of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to place 27 new Austrian diplomats at head of Austrian Embassies worldwide.

December 10, 2015

How Can Exporters Benefit from the "Go-International Initiative" of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce?

Even in a challenging global economic environment, exports remain the driving force behind the Austrian economy. The go-international initiative of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce encourages companies to step across the border by offering advisory services, events and support, as well as making it easier for existing exporters to enter additional foreign markets.

October 19, 2015

Quality of Living Rankings: Vienna Tops the List Again

Vienna remaines at the top of the 2015 Quality of Living Rankings, boasting the best quality of living for expatriates. In the top 5 there are two other European cities, Zurich (place 2) and Munich (place 4). Also Auckland (3rd) and Vancouver (5th) are among the top five cities.

March 4, 2015

Global Peace Index: Austria is Third Most Peaceful Country

The latest Global Peace Index analyses the state of peace around the world. It identifies the most and least peaceful countries, trends in violence and conflict, and calculates the economic impact of violence. The top three most peaceful countries are Iceland, Denmark and Austria. Small and stable democracies make up the top ten most peaceful countries. New Zealand, Canada and Japan are the only non-European countries in the top ten.

March 4, 2015

Austria is Celebrating 60 Years of United Nations Membership in 2015

Austria became a member of the United Nations in 1955 and is celebrating 60 years of UN membership in 2015. 70 years ago, the United Nations were founded in San Francisco.

February 5, 2015

OSCE Permanent Council Prepares for Upcoming International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Holocaust remembrance was the focus of today's meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council at Vienna's Hofburg in light of the upcoming International Holocaust Remembrance Day (27 January).

January 22, 2015

George Soros: "A New Policy to Rescue Ukraine"

Soros is calling on members of the European Union to behave as countries indirectly at war with Russia and to provide Ukraine with $50 billion to defend itself and kick-start political reforms. Russian President Vladimir Putin's imperial ambition has unintentionally brought into being a new Ukraine that is adamantly opposed to endemic corruption and inefficient government. By offering assistance, Europe can foster an open society in Ukraine and protect itself from Russian aggression.

January 22, 2015

Cost of Living Rankings: CEE Capitals Cheaper, Vienna is 32nd Most Expensive City

The Mercer's 2014 Cost of Living Rankings have been published and cover 211 cities across five continents. While Western European cities have all risen in the rankings mainly due to the strengthening of the Euro against the US dollar, most cities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), however have fallen in the ranking as a result of local currencies depreciating against the US dollar. Bratislava (#84), Prague (#92), Kiev (#98), Ljubljana (#116), Zagreb (#120), Budapest (#135), Warsaw (#142), Belgrade (#184).

July 25, 2014

Foreign Ministry: "Freedom of Religion in Austria"

The first meeting of the Interreligious Dialogue Platform at the Austrian Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs took place. Integration Minister launches an initiative for dialogue with recognised churches and religious communities in Austria.

June 3, 2014

Austria Pulling Back Peacekeepers from Syria-Israel Border

Austria announced to pull back its around 380 peacekeepers from the 1,000-strong UN force out of the Golan from the UNDOF mission after grave incidents occurred in Syria.

June 7, 2013

Turkey: Erdogan Arouses Harsh Criticism by Equaling Fascism and Zionism

At the UN conference in Vienna Turkeys Prime Minister obtained harsh criticism for his speech. The UN distanced itself from the statements.

March 2, 2013

“Business development focus in solid Austrian ties to Qatar”

Austrian State Secretary meets the Emir of Qatar and Qatar’s Foreign Affairs State Secretary for working discussions.

March 1, 2013

Benko Establishes Joint Venture with Israeli Investor

The Austrian real estate investor René Benko has found a partner. The joint venture will focus on commercial properties in Germany.

January 16, 2013

"Foreign policy means security policy"

Vice-Chancellor explains Austria's foreign policy commitment in his annual address at the UNA-Austria and demands global nuclear disarmament.

November 28, 2012

Spindelegger Appeals Israel and Palestine to End the Conflict

Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs: “Idle run in Middle East increases extremist danger for the region”

April 26, 2012

AUA Attempts to Prevent FlyNiki to Approach Tel Aviv

Austrian Airlines files a complaint against FlyNiki at the Austrian

February 18, 2012

AUA to Withdraw from Mumbai

Due to the increasing price pressure, Austrian Airlines has to focus on new markets. New target markets are Eastern Europe and the Middle East region.

February 13, 2012

“Europe, quo vadis?”

Today, the 9th Vienna Congress com•sult takes place in Vienna. The central issue “Challenges of Leadership in Europe” is discussed, among others, by Lech Walesa, Hans-Dietrich Genscher and Avigdor Liberman.

January 24, 2012

Immofinanz Closes Leasing Contract With Leonardo Hotels

The Austrian real estate group enters an agreement with the German subsidiary of the Israeli Fattal International Hotel Chain.

January 9, 2012

Increasing Earnings and Profits for Atrium

The Israeli, Vienna-listed real estate company published results for the third quarter. Profits before taxes went up by 39%.

November 15, 2011

Verbund Plans an Investment for €600m in the U.S.

A new financial and strategic direction seems to be set by the Austrian Verbund group. Electric mobility is to be promoted.

March 16, 2011