Liesing commemorates: Light signal commemorates the destroyed synagogue in 1938

Liesing commemorates: Light signal commemorates the destroyed synagogue in 1938

The memories of the dark times of history are sometimes bitter but essential. On November 6, 2025, the “Light Signal Synagogue Liesing” memorial event will take place in Liesing to commemorate the destruction of the Liesing synagogue in 1938. This important event will open with a silent commemoration at 6:30 p.m. at the former location of the synagogue, Dirmhirngasse 112. A procession of lights will then lead from the synagogue location to the Liesing office building at Perchtoldsdorfer Straße 2, where the actual memorial event begins at 7 p.m. Writer Evelyn Steinthaler will give a powerful lecture as a speaker on the topic “Looking the other way was a political act”. The orchestra of the Vienna Art Commission will provide musical accompaniment to the event, which will set a special accent with the premiere of Illavsky's composition “Good bye, Waltraut”. On this occasion, district leader Gerald Bischof (SPÖ) will also give a welcome and, together with Gerald Netzl from the Stones of Remembrance Association, emphasize the importance of remembrance. Participants are invited to bring candles and register at liesing@la21.wien.

The location of the Liesinger Synagogue has an important history. Opened in 1905, it was the cultural and religious center of the Jewish community in Liesing and Atzgersdorf. The terrible events of “Kristallnacht” from November 9th to 10th, 1938 led to the destruction of the building by the National Socialists and marked a dark turning point in the history of the community. Many of the Jewish members were persecuted, deported or murdered. Today, a memorial plaque at Dirmhirngasse 112 commemorates the former synagogue and the suffering that many people recognize and about which we need to be warned in the present.

Make a mark

In order to carry memories from the past into the present and future, it is important that events like these are well attended. The candlelight procession on November 6th is not only intended to serve as a reminder, but also to set an example for a future without hate and intolerance. Last year, many social democrats took part in the commemoration event and together remembered the terrible acts of the past. “The Social Democrats see it as an important task to remember against forgetting and to interest future generations in our history,” says a statement from the SPÖ Liesing. The commitment to a culture of remembrance and the importance of remembrance is already made very clear here.

Just as important as local commemorative events is the broad social engagement with history. The ongoing exhibition “Torn from Life” in the Parliament in Vienna, designed by the international memorial Yad Vashem, for example, addresses the fate of Austrian Jews after the annexation in 1938. National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka emphasizes Austria's responsibility for the Holocaust and the need for education to combat anti-Semitism. Such exhibitions underline the relevance of the topic and bring both victims and perpetrators into focus in order to discuss responsibility for society as a whole.

The commemoration event on November 6th is therefore not only a look back at the past, but also a call to all citizens to work for an open and tolerant society. Only by remembering can we ensure that such atrocities are not repeated.