Living in history

A few days ago, after I wrote my previous post, I was inspired by the Jewish plaque in that post to do a bit of research on the history of Jews in Vienna.  It was a reminder that I'm living in a historic section of a very historic, cultural and modernized city.  There are many Jewish stores here, and I see Orthodox Jews walking around my area all the time, always wearing traditional attire.  (And, occasionally, with an Ipod, which would make for an interesting photo!)

During my few minutes of research, I discovered that I live in the heart of the Jewish sector of the downtown Vienna area.  It's practically as alive and thriving now as it was before World War II.

Because of that fact, many Jews were deported from my neighborhood during Kristallnacht.  If I look out of my bedroom windows, I see my lively street full of personality, music, and all kinds of different people.  If I look to the right, though, I see the exact buildings where these Jews used to live and were taken away.

From what I've been able to understand from a Google search, no Jews lived in my building.  They did live in all of the other ones around me, though.

(I haven't yet walked down that section of the street; I always turn left out of my apartment to go to the train stop.  I do plan on turning right sometime to visit a famous park that's located near the end of our street.)

Anyways, I did this research on Thursday night, and I went to sleep thinking about all of this and feeling a bit...freaked out...sickened...shocked... I don't really know how to describe my feelings, but all of a sudden, I was hit with the realization that I'm truly living in history.  The original buildings where these real Jews lived are still standing; they're not torn down or completely reconstructed.  I don't live far at all from where Hitler made his speech about the Anschluss.  (You can read about that here.)  

It just became even more real to me that, even though there is much beauty and wealth and modernization to this city, there's also so much tragic history.  It's something tragic I would like forget but can't.

Going along with this, several teachers live in an apartment complex on a street called Templestrasse.  It's where a huge synagogue used to be before it was mostly destroyed during Kristallnacht.

Here's part of the street.  I haven't seen much old - fashioned streets like this one here, but there might be a few left.

This Jewish bakery is across the street from the synagogue and apartments.

(I love the Smurfs next to the menorah!)

This is the only remaining fourth of the synagogue.

The 4 white columns represent the other 3/4 of the synagogue that were destroyed.  The building behind them is part of an apartment complex where some of the other teachers live.  Just beyond the columns is a police office.

I don't know too many more details of this place, other than what I've shared, but I do know that the government has some sort of agreement to guard its city's Jews now.  Off to the far left, not in this photo, is a small guard shack, and there's always someone on patrol for the synagogue and the Jews that live here.  The security fence has been built for this reason, too.

A close up of the memorial plaque on the fence

What the synagogue looked like preKristallnacht

Using Google translate, something like, 

"Here was ... the Leopoldstader Temple, in the year 1858 according to plan of architect Leopold Forster with its Moorish style built.  And at 10 November, 1938, in the so-called "Kristallnacht" by Nazi barbarians was destroyed.  Jewish Community Vienna"

 On a lighter note, this was on a building beside the Jewish bakery.  Hahaha!  :-P