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TwitterParliament Commemorates Victims of National Socialism on the Anniversary of the Liberation of Mauthausen Concentration Camp
Vienna (PK) – May 5, 1945, marked the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp and its subcamps. Every year on this date, the Austrian Parliament commemorates the darkest chapter of Austrian history and sends a message of remembrance. This year, the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service was the focus of the commemorative event against violence and racism in remembrance of the victims of National Socialism, held in the Federal Assembly Hall of Parliament. The event was jointly hosted by the Presidiums of the National Council and the Federal Council.
In his opening address, Second President of the National Council, Peter Haubner, emphasized that there must be no final chapter. He also stressed that remembrance must find new forms to remain vibrant. The commitment of young people demonstrates that Austria is facing up to its responsibility for the past and keeping the memory alive. The commemorative address was given by Hedi Schnabl Argent, who had to flee Vienna with her family in 1939. She spoke of her life experiences and emphasized that even amidst evil, there have always been people willing to do good. Schnabl Argent also incorporated her experiences as a Jewish girl in 1930s Austria into her children's book, "The Day the Music Changed."
During a panel discussion, Andrzej Kacorzyk, Deputy Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, spoke with former volunteers about the significance of the service and their experiences during their service. In his closing remarks, President of the Federal Council Markus Stotter praised the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service, calling it one of the most important pillars of Austria's work in remembrance.
Haubner: Remembrance Requires Responsibility and Commitment
Second President of the National Council, Peter Haubner, began his opening address with a quote from Richard von Weizsäcker: "Whoever closes their eyes to the past becomes blind to the present." In light of a new record high in antisemitic incidents, this warning is highly relevant. The antisemitism reporting center of the Jewish Community of Vienna recently recorded 1,532 antisemitic incidents in just one year, more than four per day. Given these developments, there can be no drawing a line under the suffering of the victims and the horrors of National Socialism.
Haubner recalled Article 1 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union: "Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected." This sentence is the foundation of a united Europe. However, dignity is not a promise that keeps itself. It requires remembrance, and remembrance requires commitment. There is no "expiration date" for dignity and no "enough" when it comes to humanity.
Haubner recalled Article 1 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union: "Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected." This sentence is the foundation of a united Europe. However, dignity is not a promise that keeps itself. It requires remembrance, and remembrance requires commitment. There is no "expiration date" for dignity and no "enough" when it comes to humanity.
National Socialism is not an abstract chapter of history. It represents a system, supported by people, that disenfranchised, persecuted, deported, and murdered others. National Socialism sought to erase its victims as if they had never existed. Therefore, there is a moral responsibility never to relativize, downplay, or forget this unprecedented rupture of civilization. For over thirty years, the National Fund of the Republic of Austria has contributed to keeping the memory alive. Its work is a sign of a clear stance. The work of remembrance that so many people do for the National Fund cannot be valued highly enough.
However, remembrance must not stagnate but must evolve and find a new language, Haubner emphasized. As disinformation, distortion, and denial gain increasing prominence in digital spaces, clarity and the courage to speak the truth are essential. Very soon, we will have to manage without the direct voices of eyewitnesses. Then, it will be crucial not only to disseminate facts but also to take action and make a clear statement. Remembrance truly comes alive when young people take it on as their own. "When students research biographies, maintain memorial stones, and develop digital projects, then remembrance truly comes alive," Haubner emphasized.
The National Fund is addressing the central challenge of what remembrance will look like in the future. Reconciling remembrance and digitalization, and ensuring that remembrance doesn't "get lost in the noise of everyday life," is a challenge. The National Fund conference in June will focus on a crucial and necessary step for the future of remembrance: the vision of "rethinking remembrance."
“We cannot undo the darkest chapter of our history, but we can decide how we respond to it,” said the Second President of the National Council. The words “Never again” are a mandate for everyone. It is essential not only to preserve the dignity of the past but also to defend the humanity of the present. Haubner called for the day of remembrance to be used as a promise to remain vigilant and, if necessary, to speak out and prioritize humanity over indifference. Then, he said, remembrance can become responsibility, and responsibility can become conviction.
Schnabl Argent: Doing something good every day
Hedi Schnabl Argent, who had to flee from Vienna to England as a child to escape National Socialism, dedicated her commemorative speech to her parents, Lisa and Dr. Max Schnabl. “My mother always told me that there are no good or bad people – only ordinary people who can do bad things or good things – or both,” she said. The speaker also recalled the maxim of Nicholas Winton, the rescuer of many Jewish children: "Don't be content with doing nothing bad; try to do something good every day." On the day commemorating six million murdered Jews and in light of the resurgence of antisemitism in the world, it might be "the right moment to also speak of good."
In her own life, she had experienced both good and bad. In 1933, at the age of four, she learned that antisemitism existed, "that there are people who don't like me because I'm Jewish." She grew up with this knowledge. From her very first day of school, she experienced the exclusion of her classmates. This only changed when a girl named Gerti asked her at the playground, "Do you want to play with me?" Gerti learned from her mother not to do what others told her to do, but to do what she believed was right. For Gerti, it would have been easier to behave like the other children and pretend she didn't notice the terrible things happening. "Gerti and her mother were people who did good," said Schnabl Argent.
March 13, 1938, changed the family's life forever. The very next day, she was expelled from school. Within a week, her father's law firm had been taken over by a Nazi lawyer, and before the end of the month, the family had been evicted from their apartment. Seventeen members of her family were murdered in the Holocaust. In 1938, her father was regularly woken up in the middle of the night and taken out onto the street in his pajamas to clean sidewalks and public restrooms. Even during this time, there were small signs of humanity, once even from a man in a Nazi uniform, Schnabl Argent recalled. After an accident, a Christian friend of the family had her treated in a hospital where Jews were no longer admitted, risking her job and severe punishment.
Her father was eventually arrested for defending a man accused of possessing a forged passport. During his six weeks in custody, a guard who knew him as a respected lawyer protected him from the worst treatment and even hid him for two days in a coal cellar during the November Pogrom of November 9-10, 1938. Her father returned home, while most of his friends and colleagues disappeared. On July 17, 1939, the family finally arrived in England. "We are among the lucky few," Schnabl Argent emphasized. Her cousin Bubi, who had been like a big brother to her, his parents, and her grandmother had not been so fortunate.
In recent years, she had also met people who had helped her reconcile with her homeland. Together, they had erected a memorial stone for Bubi in the cemetery in Wels. He was liberated from Gunskirchen on May 5, 1945, and died the following day, two months before his 17th birthday, in the hospital in Wels. His memorial stone bears the beginning of a poem by Heinrich Heine: "My child, we were children, two children, small and happy."
Memorial Service Volunteers Share Their Experiences
Andrzej Kacorzyk, Deputy Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, discussed the significance of the memorial service with former volunteers. In the panel discussion, they shared their experiences.
Noah Elias Jakovljević, who served abroad in 2025, completed his service in Portugal, where he curated an exhibition about Simon Wiesenthal. Gregor Ribarov spoke about encounters he had while working on a traveling exhibition about Anne Frank in Germany. Both experienced negative incidents, which, however, strengthened their commitment to working with young people. Jakovljević stated that to combat forgetting and reach young people, they must be confronted with facts. Ribarov added that, especially since personal encounters with eyewitnesses are becoming increasingly rare, it is important to continue telling stories and to work with written accounts. Andrzej Kacorzyk, the museum's deputy director, also saw new tasks in this regard. At the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, the emotional and historical significance of historical objects is now being explored more extensively. He explained that the Austrian volunteers participating in the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service would be involved in restoration work, as well as in commemorative ceremonies and exhibitions, in the library, the publishing house, educational programs, and, most often, in the digital archive.
Brigitte Landesmann chose to perform her service at a museum in Rome after retiring from her professional career. She felt it was important to bring history into the present and to make young people aware that such processes can be repeated. It was crucial to highlight parallels, for example, when right-wing populist parties used problematic terms, she said. She also saw a need for a Holocaust Museum in Austria.
Stotter Emphasizes the Importance of Remembrance Work
May 5th is a day for reflection and remembrance, said President of the Federal Council Markus Stotter at the conclusion of the event. It vividly illustrates where exclusion, hatred, and contempt for humanity can lead, and at the same time serves as a reminder that democracy and human rights can never be taken for granted. The Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service is one of the most important pillars of Austrian remembrance work, Stotter stated. Young people who are involved in this service keep the memory of the crimes of National Socialism alive and, through their commitment, send a clear message of humanity, responsibility, and solidarity. Especially given the increase in antisemitic incidents in recent years, a clear stance, sound information, sustainable educational work, and individuals who speak out when boundaries are crossed, as well as institutions that take responsibility, are essential. Remembrance work is alive and has a future, the President of the Federal Council concluded. "In this spirit: Let us remember, but even more importantly: Let us act," he appealed.
The event was moderated by Margit Laufer. The musical accompaniment was provided by the string trio of the Alma Rosé Institute at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, in cooperation with the Exilarte Center for Persecuted Music at the mdw. They performed works by Jewish composers who perished in the Holocaust. (End of memorial event) sox/fan
