News

  27. September 2007
Trapp Family Receives Award in Braunau, Austria

This year, the first “Egon Ranshofen-Wertheimer Award” goes to the Trapp Family. Tizzy von Trapp-Walker, the daughter of Rupert von Trapp received the award. The Trapp Family helped to promote Austrian culture in the English speaking world and set up a Relief Fund for their home country after World War II.

From September 28 till September 30, the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service, in cooperation with the Association for Contemporary History organized the 16th Contemporary History Days in Braunau. The three day symposium dealt with the life and legacy of Egon Ranshofen-Wertheimer. Wertheimer was active in developing the basic ideas for the organization of the United Nations and helping Austria join the UN. The city, together with the Association for Contemporary History, decided to award a price to people like Wertheimer, who did something for Austria in a foreign country.

10. June 2005
The Austrian ministry for the interior in consultation with the Austrian foreign ministry has accepted the Center for Jewish Studies in Shanghai as a location for the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service. Martin Wallner and Emanuel Matti will work in the Department for Holocaust Re-search in 2006.

After memorial places in Europe, Israel, North- and South America the Center for Jewish Studies is the first place in Asia and altogether the 25th memorial place of the Austrian Association for Service Abroad. Because the Association got an invitation of a Holocaust Center in Australia, Gedenkdieners of Austria will work on all continents in the future. This development wasn’t foreseeable at the foundation of the memorial service in 1992. Andreas Maislinger originally planned places in Europe and Israel only, based on the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace.

09. September 2004
The ministry of the interior and the minister for foreign affairs acknowledged Shalom -Organization of Jews in Bulgaria as the 24th Memorial Service location of the Austrian Association for Service Abroad. Alexander Maleev pleaded for the acknowledgement of the new location and is going to start his Memorial Service on August 1, 2005 in Sofia.

24. August 2004
For the first time the Austrian newspaper Die Presse awards an „Austrian Nobel prize“ honouring Excellence in three categaries – business, science, humanitarian commitment. It was proposed that the founder and chairman of the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service, Andreas Maislinger, become „Austrian of the Year“.

01. April 2003
From March 24th to 28th the 10th Annual Kleinmann Family Foundation Holocaust Symposium took place at Vanier College . The Gedenkdienst Interns Simon Niederkircher, Benedikt Breinbauer and Fabian Schroeder held lectures with the following topics: "Austria's Role in the Holocaust", "Holocaust-Education in Austria" and "Gedenkdienst - An Alternative". The symposium was initiated by Peter Kleinmann who survived the Holocaust. His story can be read in the book "The Fallacy of Race and the Shoah". (http://www.cjvma.org/e/albums/kleinmann/index.html)

01. October 2002
Austrian Information: Ten Years of Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service from Virtual Reality to Social Change.