Newsletter July/August 2026

Dear friends and supporters of the National Fund,

Welcome to our newsletter, which brings you the latest news from the National Fund and the Cemeteries Fund.

Simon Wiesenthal Prize 2025: Nominees announcement and award ceremony

Image: Parliamentary Directorate

Interest in the Simon Wiesenthal Prize remained high in its fifth year: the National Fund received around 280 entries from over 30 countries for the prize, which recognises exceptional civic engagement to combat antisemitism and/or promote Holocaust education. This year's entrants were dedicated individuals aged between 18 and 100. Given the large number of compelling entries, it was not easy for the jury to reach a decision. On 1 July 2026, the National Fund’s Board of Trustees selected the prize winners in each of the three categories on the basis of the jury’s nominations. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Parliament on 12 November 2026, during which special tribute will also be paid to contemporary witnesses. View the nominations here.

Decisions taken at the meetings of the Board of Trustees for the National Fund and the Cemeteries Fund

Photo: Parliamentary Directorate/Thomas Topf

Further important decisions were taken at the Board of Trustees’ meetings on 1 July 2026. A total of 93 project applications were submitted in the National Fund’s current funding period. The Board of Trustees approved 44 of these applications, awarding funding in the amount of 270,000 euros. Of this total, 27,000 euros were awarded to two social and medical programmes, and 243,000 euros to 42 projects that contribute to coming to terms with the Nazi era in Austria and commemorating the victims, including two projects under the 2025/2026 funding priority. View the funded projects here.

The Board of Trustees of the Fund for the Restoration of the Jewish Cemeteries in Austria followed the recommendation of the Advisory Board and approved two funding applications, granting subsidies totalling around 364,000 euros. This funding will support restoration work at the Währing Jewish Cemetery (around 257,000 euros for the 13th sub-project) and at the Central Cemetery, Gate IV (around 107,000 euros for the 7th sub-project). View the subsidised cemetery restoration projects here.

First school exchange between Austria and Israel a success

Photo: Austrian Federal Chancellery/Valentin Brauneis

The Israeli school group arrived in Austria on Sunday, 21 June. Twenty-three pupils from schools in Jerusalem took part in a five-day exchange programme with their partner schools in Vienna. The programme involved Year 10 and Year 11 pupils from the high schools GRG13 Wenzgasse and GRG23 Alterlaa in Vienna, and from the Israeli Leyada School and Sieff Marks School in Jerusalem. It gave the young people an insight into everyday life, politics and society in the home countries of their exchange partners, encouraging them to exchange personal experiences and discuss cultural and social differences and similarities. The Austro-Israeli school exchange programme was designed and implemented on behalf of the National Fund, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education and in collaboration with the OeAD, Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation. Read the press release.

Conference review: “Rethinking Remembrance” at the Austrian Parliament

Photo: Parliamentary Administration/Johannes Zinner

Digital spaces open up new avenues for teaching history – yet they also carry the risk of being used to distort historical facts. On Friday, 19 June 2026, the Second President of the National Council, Peter Haubner, and the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism hosted a high-profile conference at the Parliament.

The conference brought together experts, advocates and representatives from various sectors of society. The focus was on how to effectively counter Holocaust denial and distortion in the digital sphere and how to shape remembrance in a forward-looking way. Following an analysis of current challenges in the morning session, the afternoon took an interactive turn: together, the participants developed ideas and concrete solutions. This cross-sectoral exchange brought together different perspectives, sparked new partnerships and provided impetus for the further development of a culture of remembrance and commemoration. Click here to read the review.

A Central Memorial for Roma and Sinti and National Day of Remembrance on 2 August

Photo: National Fund/Johannes Zinner

Following the decision in April 2026 to erect the memorial at the centrally-located Weghuberpark in front of the Ministry of Justice, preparations are now underway for the two-stage, Europe-wide open call for an artistic competition to design the memorial. To this end, a meeting was held in Parliament on 3 July with representatives of the ethnic group and the Ethnic Group Advisory Board to coordinate the next steps. The call for entries will open in autumn 2026. Click here for information on the planned memorial.

To mark the European and National Holocaust Remembrance Day for Roma and Sinti on 2 August, commemorative events will take place in Austria and at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. This Day of Remembrance commemorates the resistance and murder of around 4,300 imprisoned Sinti and Roma in the so-called “Gypsy camp” by the SS during the night of 2-3 August 1944.

On Friday 31 July, a wreath-laying ceremony will be held in the Weiheraum at the Burgtor in Vienna to honour the Roma and Sinti victims of Nazism. In the afternoon, a memorial service will be held at the Jewish cemetery in Lackenbach. The international commemoration ceremony will take place on 2 August 2026 at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, with live streaming from 11:30. On the afternoon of 2 August, at 2:30 pm, a remembrance ceremony co-funded by the National Fund and featuring a wreath-laying ceremony will be held at St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.

Farewell to Dr Erich Kussbach

Photo: National Fund/Tomo Grabovac

It was with great sorrow that we learned that Ambassador Hon. Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Erich Kussbach, LL.M. (Yale), Member of the Arbitration Panel for In Rem Restitution from 2001 to 2021, passed away on 10 July 2026 at the age of 95. From 2001 to 2021, Kussbach served on the Arbitration Panel for In Rem Restitution at the General Settlement Fund, which examined applications for the restitution of property seized during the Nazi era. He carried out this responsibility-laden role in an honorary capacity for two decades, until the Arbitration Panel was dissolved in 2021 after completing its tasks. Read the obituary here.

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We wish you a relaxing summer and thank you for your continued support.

With best regards,
Your team at the National Fund