30th Anniversary of the National Fund: Remembrance and Acts of Responsibility

Thirty years ago, on 27 April 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the reestablishment of the Austrian Republic, the Federal Law on the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism came into force. At a ceremony in Parliament, the place where the National Fund was founded, the Fund looked back on three decades of active responsibility towards the victims of National Socialism. Alongside a comprehensive review of its achievements, the event focused on the current and future tasks of the National Fund.

One of the tasks of the National Fund is awarding the Simon Wiesenthal Prize to individuals and organisations that campaign against antisemitism and promote Holocaust education. The submission period for 2025 entries is currently open. Individuals and groups from Austria and abroad are invited to apply or can be nominated by 19 December 2025.

Haubner: A step that made history

“Sometimes, a single step is enough to make history. A step that has not only legal significance, but above all moral significance.” This was the message conveyed by Second National Council President Peter Haubner in his opening remarks regarding the law establishing the National Fund. Holding the ceremony at the parliament was deeply symbolic. ‘That is precisely why we must be highly sensitive to the type of events we hold here and the signals we send out,’ he warned. The ceremony highlighted that, with the establishment of the National Fund, Austria formally recognised that the suffering caused by the Nazi regime must never be forgotten, trivialised, suppressed or relativised.

In addition to commemorating the victims, it is also important to keep their memory alive. Since its establishment, the National Fund has supported victims of Nazi persecution with a variety of measures and projects, thereby contributing to the individual recognition of the injustices they suffered. In 2001, the General Settlement Fund for Victims of National Socialism was established on the basis of the Washington Agreement to comprehensively resolve questions about losses and damages for tens of thousands of people. In 2010, the Fund for the Restoration of the Jewish Cemeteries in Austria was added.

Haubner highlighted two significant projects that the National Fund has implemented to reinforce Austria's culture of remembrance: the new Austrian national exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the Shoah Wall of Names Memorial in Vienna. Since 2021, the Simon Wiesenthal Prize has also been awarded in Parliament. In 2024, an amendment to the law will further strengthen the Fund's focus on the future. The annual conference organised by the National Fund in Parliament provides impetus for contemporary prevention work and disseminates knowledge about National Socialism.

The National Fund has also been tasked with establishing a memorial to honour the victims of National Socialism from the Roma and Sinti communities. This memorial will highlight Austria's commitment to acknowledging the injustices inflicted upon this ethnic group, ensuring that all victims of Nazi persecution are included in the collective historical memory. A comprehensive culture of remembrance must commemorate all those who were persecuted because of their political views, origin, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or for any other reason that caused them to become victims of Nazi injustice.

The 30th anniversary is also an opportunity to pause and reflect; and to express our gratitude, particularly to the survivors who found the courage to share their experiences. Haubner also thanked all those who have contributed to, and continue to contribute to, the work of the National Fund. Since its establishment, the Fund has supported around 3,200 projects and programmes, providing over 40 million euros in funding.

Haubner spoke clearly about the dangers of antisemitism: a phenomenon that was diametrically opposed to democratic principles and endangered their moral foundation. “Anyone who excludes people due to their faith or heritage attacks the very heart of democracy; they attack the idea that all people are born with equal human dignity,” he said. They endanger democracy as a whole. A vigilant democracy counters this danger with resolve. According to Haubner, the last 30 years of the National Fund have been about 'acknowledging the past, but also actively shaping the present in order to secure the future'. Only in this way can remembrance be carried forward as 'an obligation, a warning, and a source of our humanity', he concluded.

Van der Bellen: Remembrance means recognition

In his address, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen referenced the opening article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. However, he noted that less than 100 years ago, this human dignity was still vulnerable, citing the November pogroms of 1938 as an example. The Nazi regime committed crimes that had previously been considered unthinkable in a Europe shaped by the Enlightenment. After 1945, silence descended over Austria and repression prevailed for a long time. It was not until 1991 that Chancellor Franz Vranitzky explicitly acknowledged Austrians' shared responsibility for Nazi crimes before parliament. “Austria takes responsibility,” emphasised the Federal President. In 1995, the National Fund was established to signalise this, with a mandate to include all victim groups.

Many survivors have been able to feel part of Austria again thanks to conversations with National Fund employees. 'Recognising suffering is essential to alleviate the trauma of the past.' Van der Bellen said that he had repeatedly experienced how important this belated recognition was. When meeting Holocaust survivors, their children, and their grandchildren, he often felt their deep connection to their former homeland of Austria. The National Fund's 'constant bridge-building' has contributed significantly to this. The Federal President praised the National Fund's ‘active responsibility’. Remembering those who were murdered was an ongoing process. It was also a sign of recognition. He therefore hoped that a dignified place of remembrance could be created for all victims.

Antisemitism and racism have not been overcome in the new millennium, he continued. Democracy and the rule of law were facing mounting challenges. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, at a time when the memory of Nazi atrocities was still fresh in people's minds. Even today, institutions such as the National Fund were needed to guard against the idea that democracy and freedom can be taken for granted. Every generation must learn to preserve and resolutely defend these values.

In the thirty years since its foundation, the National Fund has reached many people and contributed to positive change in Austria and raising awareness. This has been achieved through the projects it has supported, but above all through personal contact. On this anniversary, Van der Bellen thanked the dedicated staff for their valuable work and wished them and the National Fund all the best for the future.

Conversation with Franz Vranitzky and Andreas Khol about the history of the National Fund

The establishment of the National Fund in 1995 marked the Republic's clear and lasting acceptance of historical responsibility, 50 years after the end of the Nazi dictatorship. Former National Council President Andreas Khol and former Federal Chancellor Franz Vranitzky discussed the background to the creation of the Fund and the significance of this step with National Fund Director Hannah Lessing.

When Lessing referred to Vranitzky's highly acclaimed speech in the National Council on 8 July 1991, which initiated a paradigm shift in Austrian remembrance culture, he recalled how openly the 'myth of Austrian victimhood' had been cultivated beforehand. For him, this was tantamount to the 'lie of a lifetime' on which the state could 'no longer be built'. He had therefore seized the opportunity presented by the war in Yugoslavia, which was happening right on Austria's doorstep, to remind people that such atrocities had also been committed in Austria and that many Austrians had been complicit in them. Khol praised Vranitzky's 'pioneering work', noting that most people were unaware of this, despite the international discussion about Austria's complicity in Nazi crimes having begun prior to Kurt Waldheim's election as Federal President.

Khol explained that with the National Fund Law, Austria had finally stepped up to meet its ‘moral obligation’, recalling how it had been necessary to campaign for its adoption among all parliamentary groups. Vranitzky added that its adoption and entry into force in 1995 had also served Austria's international reputation, as it had undermined the accusation that Austrians were still ‘closet Nazis’. Khol also mentioned that the subsequent decision to return looted works of art and compensate forced labourers had contributed to this.

In addition to combatting antisemitism, which has taken on new forms in the wake of the Gaza war, for example, it was now important to counter various trends towards authoritarianism. Referring to the widely cited Böckenförde theorem, which states that the liberal, secularised state relies on conditions that it cannot guarantee itself, Khol advocated strengthening the democratic 'foundation of values'. This could be achieved by promoting political education within the framework of basic military or civilian service at 'schools of the nation'. However, Khol also criticised the media for often 'paving the way for authoritarianism' through 'scaremongering'.

Vranitzky referred to social media in this regard, highlighting that 'unelected techno-billionaires' exert influence over politics, which could result in a 'death blow to democracy'. He added that the fight against authoritarianism must be waged on a daily basis and affects many areas of politics. For example, the EU was making 'somewhat lazy compromises' with authoritarian governments out of fear of punitive tariffs. However, Vranitzky argued that the fact that Europe is a 'world power' in its own right is also being 'suppressed' , and that if it does not 'splinter' into individual nationalisms, it can fight back against authoritarianism.

Sarah Gärtner-Horvath talks about Emmerich Gärtner-Horvath

The event concluded with a reading by third-generation descendants. Sarah Gärtner-Horvath read from the memoirs of her father, Emmerich Gärtner-Horvath. In them, he recounts what motivated him to participate in the 2005 'Mri Historija' (My Story) interview project on the history of the Burgenland Roma, and to interview contemporary witnesses about their experiences during the Nazi era. Ms Gärtner-Horvath also revealed that her father never knew three of his siblings as they were murdered before he was born. The question of how such a thing could have happened, and why there was so little resistance to it, became increasingly important to him.

The Burgenland Roma eyewitness project is more than just a research project. For Gärtner-Horvath, it has become a journey to her own roots. “It is a legacy and an incentive to look where others look away. It is about asking questions when it would be easier to remain silent,” she said. Her father spoke to people who had been silenced for too long. “Their voices have been preserved for us, for our generation and for future generations, so that we can understand who we are and what it means to remain human.”

Yuval Yaary recalls his grandfather Moshe Jahoda

Yuval Yaari read an excerpt from his grandfather's memoirs. Moshe Jahoda had witnessed the burning of the Turnertempel synagogue in Vienna's 15th district during the November pogroms of 1938. With it, a piece of his childhood went up in flames. However, Yaary emphasised that his grandfather's story 'did not end with the fire'. He went on to have a family and children of his own.

Despite all he had endured, Moshe Jahoda had found the strength to return to Austria, particularly thanks to a younger generation of Austrians willing to openly discuss the past, accept responsibility, and demonstrate empathy. “And I, his descendant, am here today because he never stopped believing that life and dignity are stronger than hatred and destruction. That is his legacy to us,' said Yaari.

The musical accompaniment was provided by Aliosha Biz on the violin, Joschi Schneeberger on the double bass, and Harri Stojka on the guitar.

Source: Parliamentary correspondence no. 1013 of 10.11.2025 (in German)