Over 2,000 UK Jews apply for Austrian citizenship

IN THE past year over 2,430 British descendants of the approximately 20,000 Austrian refugees from Nazism who made the UK their home have applied for Austrian citizenship, with over 1,100 passports granted so far.

The Austrian authorities revealed the degree of interest in citizenship to the JC one year after the country implemented its first law to make all descendants of the predominantly Jewish refugees eligible.

British citizens form the third largest contingent of the over 13,666 applicants worldwide to date. At least 5,550 applications have originated from Israel whilst 2,800 have originated from the USA. These three countries were also the most common locations for the approximately 120,000 Jewish refugees from Austria to be living in 1945.

The recent and jarring loss of EU citizenship rights as a result of Brexit is often cited by British applicants as a motivation to apply. However, some Jews still feel too scarred by the Shoah to make an application.

Judith Gordon from Cheshire, whose parents were refugees from Vienna, applied under the new law with 12 other family members.

She has always felt a natural affinity for Austrian culture. She said: “I welcomed the citizenship law because it allowed my family to restore what our parents had taken away from them when they sought refuge in the UK. The Brexit decision hastened my decision; I want to remain part of Europe and to honour my Austrian roots.”

For Christopher Orlik however, his refugee mother’s apparent reconciliation with Austria could not erase his unease. “My mother was surprisingly relaxed when we were on holiday in Austria, despite her terrible experiences,” he said. “Although I opposed Brexit strongly, I can’t imagine taking up the offer because of my family’s ordeal, Austria’s record since the war with restitution for example and my sense that denial is still entrenched there.”

Now, high profile gestures including the law and a forthcoming memorial wall in Vienna commemorating the 64,000 Austrian Jews murdered in the Shoah, are a hopeful sign that Austria takes historical justice seriously. But for Mr Orlik and others, the scars are too deep and gestures too late to contemplate belonging to Austrian society.

I can’t imagine taking up Austria’s offer because of my family’s ordeal

The Jewish Historical Society is inviting descendants of refugees to explain why or why they are not applying for citizenship as part of the EU Passport Project online. Visit: jhse.org/inner-passport-system