On Wednesday, 3 April 2024, H.E. Mr. Wolfgang Sobotka, President of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Austria, will visit the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem.
Sobotka will be accompanied by Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan.
During his visit, President Sobotka will tour the Collections Center, where he will have the unique opportunity to see firsthand artifacts and archival documentation housed in the world's largest Holocaust-related archives.
At the conclusion of the visit, Sobotka will participate in a memorial ceremony to take place in the Hall of Remembrance, after which he will sign the Yad Vashem guest book.
Last month, dpa reported that the number of antisemitic incidents recorded in Austria rose sharply in 2023: According to the report, before Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, an average of one to two cases of antisemitism were reported per day in Austria. However, according to the President of the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG), Oskar Deutsch, in the months following the Hamas attack, there have been an average of eight to nine incidents per day.
Deutsch added that he assumes there are a high number of unreported cases.
The total number of reported incidents in 2023 reached a negative record of 1,147 and an increase of 60 percent compared to the previous year, according to dpa.