Here is a picture of Rich and me at the Hotel Sacher enjoying some sacher torte for our anniversary. (Of course he could have told me he was taking the picture so I wouldn't have been talking!) We learned, several days later, that this cake (supposedly only this one!) is made with lard and therefore not kosher! Oh dear! But not to worry- many other places make it too!
This is a picture of our guide and the outside of the City Temple at Seitenstettengasse. It actually looks like a townhouse because in 1824, when the Jews of Vienna were finally allowed to build an actual synagogue, they were not allowed to make it appear as a house of worship for fear that it would attract the good Catholics of the city! So it is built inside another typical building so that nothing shows on the street. This actually helped it survive through the Nazi destruction although the interior was destroyed then and rebuilt in 1963. It was designed by Josef Kornhausel, a Biedermeier architect who made a very simple, neo-classical temple in an oval shape with women's galleries along 3 sides and a bimah in the front (instead of the center as was more traditional). Very much a product of the Enlightenment. My book on the Jewish community explains that the construction of this synagogue was a sign of "the gradual social recognition and growing self-awareness" of the Jewish community. The Emperor Franz Joseph officially recognized the Jews as a religious community in 1849. After that they created their own social network providing for the poor and the sick, arranging health care and burials, schools and support for those in need. It continues to do so today. (I think I am starting to sound like I am writing a designation report!)
The official recognition of the Jews resulted in Vienna becoming a magnet for Jews from other Central and Eastern European countries. Jewish population went from 6,200 in 1860 to 73,000 in 1880 to 180,000 in 1938 before the Anschloss. Most escaped or were put to death by the Nazis. Today, they say the Jewish community has about 7,000 people, but out guide thinks there are many more who are not affiliated or don't see themselves as Jewish. There are quite a few people who came from the former Soviet bloc and had little or no Jewish education or self- awareness, so they don't associate with the community.
Going back to another tidbit from an earlier time- even during the Medieval period, the Jews of Vienna had a neighborhood, but never walls of a ghetto in which they had to live, unlike other cities. But they did go through a constant struggle of being thrown out of town and persecuted when someone needed a scape-goat, and then being invited back when they realized they needed the Jews and their trades and money-lending.
So much for your Jewish education for today.
Other random pieces of information: the wind of Vienna! No one told us what a windy city this is- and not in the manner of Chicago, although that may be true also! Apparently Vienna sits in a sort of bowl that makes the weather react in a particular way, and increases the wind. And the weather here is unique to the city and changes as soon as you get out. So during the winter months it is very cold and grey with little or no sunshine and during the summer it is extremely hot and humid. So many people here have houses outside the city that they can escape to- either tiny little one-room bungalows or more fancy vacation houses, and they leave in the winter to go skiing and in the summer for hiking and other pursuits.
When the wind blows in Vienna you really have to hold on to your hats and our apartment feels like it is going to fall down! There must be some sort of vent in the toilet area and we hear the wind swirling around like crazy! And on warm days when we try to open the windows they blow around and doors and windows are constantly slamming! (There must be a knack to it that we still have to find out.)
Another thing we have observed is how physically active and generally fit most people here are. On warm days the Prater is absolutely full with people biking, skating, running, playing scoccer and everything else. In spite of the very rich food, overweight people are fairly rare. And so many people are walking or riding bikes everywhere- and many go skiing regularly. Makes us feel like lazy bums! (of course not many people with helmets on when riding or skating)
Rich has been finally using his bike and was almost run over by bikers with a tighter deadline than he had!
While I am making random observations, another point is about the children here. On the one hand, school doesn't start for them til they are 6 years old and each day generally is over about 1 or 1:30. Someone told us that the Austrians like to have their kids at home as much as possible. On the other hand, there seems to be so much more independence among the children here. For one thing, the transit system is so easy and safe grade-school children take it regularly by themselves. Also, kids are allowed to do things that would not be true in the States. I was observing a bunch of 4-5 year old boys playing with sticks like swords and then running with them and fighting, with their mothers watching from a distance with no apparent concern. And last night, at our second seder, the 6 year old boy was allowed to light the matches for the candles. And these kids were quite used to helping themselves to whatever they needed in the house, and moving in and out of the activities, and turning on and off lights depending which room they were in- no hovering parents. A very different feeling than what I am used to.
This will be all for now- have to get out while there is a break in the rain.
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