Dr. Helene Maimann, historian at University of Vienna, filmmaker, author. I am a Viennese Jew in 3rd generation, there are not many left, as the community has changed deeply because of the Shoah during the postwar period and esp. during the last 25 years, mainly because of the immigrants from Eastern Europe, USSR and the successor states.
In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general?
“Without the creation of the State of Israel, the Jewish communities all over the world would have erased and disintegrated after the Shoah. It was then decisive for the identity and psychological and physical survival of the survivers of the Nazi Camps and the whole Jewish Diaspora. As a kid of the after war period in Europa, I developed during my first stay in Israel a mental flow I never had before and after again – but this is long ago. During the Sixties and early Seventies Israel was simply another planet, and it is hard to find its traces and spirits any more.”
Do you feel committed in some way to defend the future existence of Israel?
“Yes. But that does not mean that I am a natural born defender of its politics.”
Do you affiliate yourself with a specific confessional division in Judaism? What is your view regarding the dominance of the Orthodox division in Israel religious establishment?
“1.: No, I am a secular Jew. 2.: This turns out to be a tragedy for Israeli society as it seems to fall apart in sections fighting each other – very dangerous.”
Do you feel morally responsible for Israel’s actions (such as its management of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)?
“No, I do not. Why should I? I can only feel responsible for something I am involved as a member of society.”
In your opinion, what is the main thing Israelis fail to understand about the reality of being Jewish outside of Israel?
“I think they do not understand that they cannot expect from the Diaspora Jews that they will identify, defend and support Israel at all costs.”
How would you describe Israel’s policy (formally and in practice) regarding its relationship with the Diaspora?
“Very demanding and somehow full of resentments, esp. to people like me, born and living as a critical but loyal member of the Austrian society. There is a life after the Shoah, it is sometimes complicated but where in the world it is not? ”
In your opinion, does Israel have an obligation to defend and help Jewish communities in need?
“This is a tricky question. I think Israel could and should be a safe haven for persecuted jewish people, if they do not have another choice. But I do not think that Israel is responsible for my personal security and well being.”
Have you ever been to Israel? if you have, can you summarize your impression from the Israeli reality?
“I have been often and like to go there, but do not feel so different going to another Mediterranean country like Greece or southern Italy.”
Can you tell us a bit about the Jewish community in your hometown? Is it organized? Are there community activities?
“This is Vienna calling, and we have a flourishing community here, both secular and orthodox, much influenced because of the immigration of Bukhara and Georgian Jews; it has changed a lot.”
Is there a question you feel should be added to the project’s questionnaire?
“Perhaps you could ask people if their Jewish identity is the major and overall one in their recent life – as after my lifelong experience there is a mixture of a bundle identities, esp. in the secular Diaspora, and their impact can change.”
