Austrians learn Holocaust lessons

For many years, the citizens of Austria denied their complicity in the Nazi horrors of the Holocaust. For many more, they simply tried to forget. Not until the late 1980s and early 1990s did the Austrian government and a new generation of citizens begin to face the truth.

In 1991, Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky officially admitted his country´s share of guilt. Since then, numerous government education initiatives, privately produced books and public memorial programs have addressed the issue.

One of the most interesting of these programs is the Austrian Gedenkdienst or memorial service. Through this program, established in 1992, Austrian youths can serve at Holocaust memorials around the globe at the Austrian government´s expense. Making a point of this recently at Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH) was Dr. Peter Moser, the Austrian ambassador to the United States.

Moser was visiting Houston for only one day but made special arrangements to see the city´s Holocaust memorial and education center. "I have seen many museums of this nature," said the diplomat following an hourlong tour, "but I must say, this one is really for the children. It is very educational."

"The trunk program is amazing," he continued, addressing Susan Llanes, the interim executive director of HMH. "You have to let me know when these trunks can go to Austria. I will be sure to tell the education minister myself."

Moser was pleased to see that HMH hat two Gedenkdienst participants working as interns. He explained that when Austrians leave high school, they can either serve nine month in the military or 14 month in civil service.

"We encourage the civil service," he said, "but we want those who do it to serve with commitment. That´s why the term is longer."

Mathias Meindlhumer, from the city of Grieskirchen, and Johannes Winkler, from Bludenz, have both made the commitment to Houston and HMH. Meindlhumer had traveled to the United States many times through his childhood and his family had even become good friends with a Houston family, the Du-Boses, while on a trail ride in Montana.

"I was always interested in the Holocaust," said Meindlhumer, "and I always wanted to spend a year in the United States. I have friends in Houston, a family I can stay with. It worked out to be very convienient. The DuBose family has shown great hospitality."

Meanwhile, Winkler had never been to the United States and didn´t know a soul in Houston.His goal was to get into an available slot in America and when he heard that HMH´s previous Gedenkdienst intern, Jakob Achter, was moving on to a post in Poland, he immediately applied for the position in Houston.

"This museum is ideal for me," he said. "I really didn´t want to go to one of those big, overcrowded centers in Los Angeles."

The two were thrilled to meet their country´s ambassador and where relieved to find that he is very open and easygoing.

"We dropped the whole excellency thing," Winkler laughed. "It was all very friendly, not so formal."

"It impressed us because, on the one hand, he came in his limousine with his police escort, but on the other hand he was quite friendly," Meindlhumer concluded

Along with the tour by museum docent Sandy Lessig, Ambassador Moser also met with the museum chairman Roy Nichol, and chairman-elect Ed Allday. The ambassador presented Nichol with a pair of books and a video for the museum´s library.

The two books are "History In Austria: Teaching the Nazi Era" and the "Holocaust and Strangers at Home and Abroad: Recollections of Austrian Jews Who Escaped Hitler." The video depicts Jewish life in Vienna from the 10th century to the present. The items should be available soon in the HMH library.

The museum is located at 5401 Caroline St. in the heart of Houston´s Museum District.

For information, call 713/942-8000, www.hmh.org is the Web address.