ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on Visitor's of Vienna and Cracow Jewish life, culture and communities — two communities which, in light of their history, exist against all odds. This account is primarily descriptive — in the case of Vienna, detailing the plurality of religious denomination, the importance of Jewish immigration, and the role of politics and, in the case of Cracow, the rituals of the elderly, the potential of tourism, and the involvement of international organizations. Certain issues are prevalent in each community, including questions of Jewish identity, the problem of anti-Semitism, the ambivalent attitudes of Austrians and Poles towards Jews, and attitudes towards the Holocaust. Critics in the Jewish community point out that since it has taken over fifty years for the Austrians to commemorate the Holocaust in an official manner, it is more important to conduct a thorough archeological exploration of a medieval synagogue, and wait a little longer.
