Graz, Austria - '45 Aid Society

Members of the Boys were born in Graz in Austria.

The Boys were teenage and child-Holocaust survivors, who were brought to the UK after the war for rest and rehabilitation.

Members of the Boys were held in Nazi labour and concentration camps and used as slave labourers. They had also survived World War II in hiding or as lone children.

^{Postcard of Graz Synagogue, Austria, 1900.}

Background

Graz is the capital city of the province of Styria. The Jewish presence in Graz dates back to the Middle Ages. As in most other Austrian cities, the community was very small until the end of the 18th century.

Third Reich

In 1932, there were about 2,450 Jews living in Styria. Following the Anschluss of 1938, a process of Aryanization of Austrian towns was set in motion by the Nazis. On Kristallnacht in November 1938, the synagogue was destroyed and 300 Jews were arrested and deported. A quarter of Graz’s 1,600 Jews managed to flee.

Aftermath

In the aftermath of World War II, just over 100 Jews returned to Graz to rebuild the community. A unanimous decision was taken by the Austrian parties to rebuild a synagogue, which was reopened in 2000.

Visiting Graz

Getting there The city has its own airport and excellent road and rail connectins.

What to see

Synagogue (David Herzog Platz 1) Consecrated in 2000 on the site of the original synagogue destroyed during Kristallnacht, it incorporates 40,000 bricks recovered from the ruins of its predecessor, symbols of continuity.

Cemetery (Alte Poststraße 241) Established in 1864 in the Wetzelsdorf district, it contains over 1,450 graves.

Present day Country:

Austria

1938-1945:

Third Reich

Associated Boys:

Kitty Rosen
Dorothea Teichner

Map:

Gallery: