Jewish Burgenland

A driving force in the cultural and intellectual life of Europe, a place of intellectual growth for Talmud students from all over Europe, a centre of activity for rabbis of supraregional reputation, the donor of the name for a Haredi neighborhood in the north of Jerusalem, and flourishing Jewish Communities, which were able to flourish over a period of about 250 years, free from expulsion and persecution and enjoying comparatively extensive freedoms, until the National Socialists came to power in Austria. All this can be linked to the former Jewish Communities of Burgenland.
Until 1938, a rich diversity of Jewish life existed in Burgenland. This can also be seen in the wide range of religious life: there were both, strictly Orthodox Communities as well as liberal Neological communal life. The most famous are the Siebengemeinden/Sheva Kehillot, which had been established under the protection of the Esterhàzy family since the 17th century. Even today, the grave of Rabbi Meir Eisenstadt at the older Jewish cemetery in Eisenstadt is considered a place of pilgrimage for Orthodox Jews from all over the world.
Today there is not a single Jewish Community left in Burgenland. When the National Socialists came to power in 1938, the communities were shattered, their inhabitants were plundered, expelled and murdered. Those who managed to escape abroad have exported the memory of these once significant Communities from Burgenland throughout the world. The route through the Jewish heritage of Burgenland is therefore both: a reminder of former spiritual magnificence and cultural wealth and a silent witness to the expulsion and robbery of the same