SIMON WIESENTHAL ON THE VIENNA WIESENTHAL INSTITUTE

For quite some time I have been occupied by the thought of which institution in Austria or abroad I should entrust with the holdings of my archives to make sure that the abundance of interesting material is made available for historical research in the best possible manner.

The initiative of the Jewish Community Vienna to establish and open a Shoah research centre at Rabensteig in Vienna proved to be the perfect solution to my problem. As an Honorary Citizen of the city of Vienna it is an important matter for me to know that the results of decades of my work will be kept in good hands in the heart of the city. Therefore I have agreed that the research center should bare my name.

Over and above this centre will combine the scientific and educational work of existing institutions such as the Institute for Contemporary History at the University of Vienna and the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance.

Only a few years ago a memorial was dedicated in Vienna in commemoration of its fellow Jewish citizens murdered under the Nazi Regime. Its realisation was due to the approval of my suggestion by the mayor of Vienna, Dr. Michael Häupl, and his personal commitment. If commemoration is to be followed by knowledge about the Shoah, then a research centre of international standing, like planed, is a precondition.

For this reason I would ask the City of Vienna and the Republic of Austria for their support in realising this project which will do both of them honour and balance a deficit in the field of historical research.

Simon Wiesenthal, fall 2002