Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky
LONDON — Dr. Bruno Kreisky,
the new Austrian Social Demo-
cratic chancellor, is a lapsed Jew.
He was never converted, but
neither did he ever deny his Jew-
ish origins. He is what is known
in German as konfessionslos,
meaning atheist — humanist. His
brother lives in Israel and his
mother died in Israel a few years
ago at a very advanced age. Dr.
Kreisky often used to mention
that she lives there.
Bruno Kreisky was born in 1911
into a wealthy Viennese Jewish
household. His father had come to
Vienna from Bohemia, hence the
Slavic name. The son studied his-
tory, politics and economics and
had a brilliant career at college
and was soon absorbed in politics
as a leading member of the Social-
ist Youth in the days of the semi-
Fascist Austrian regime of Dol-
fuss and Schuschnigg. He was
jailed for 18 months in 1935-36. He
said afterwards: "The only thing
I have learned in prison is how
to get along with people I dis-
like." He escaped from the Nazis
and went to Sweden, where he
spent the war years working with
anti-Nazi groups.
After the war Dr. Kreisky
went back into politics and soon
became one of the leaders of the
Social Democratic Party, which
is reformist rather than Marxist.
Ile became the undersecretary
for foreign affairs in 1953 and
foreign minister in 1959.60, suc-
cessful in both endeavors.
Dr. Kreisky is an exponent of
the philosophy of Austrian neu-
trality between East and West,
but his mind, his attitudes and his
By S. J. GOLDSMITH
(Copyright 1970. .1TA. Inc.)
petted to have a good tenure as
habits' are completely Western.
In the controversy over compen- chancellor unless - circumstances
sation for Jewish victims of Naz- :•hanix radically in Austria. He
ism. Dr. Kreisky never took an has always liken a pro-Israel
active part. The issue has not yei lint, in his politics, as well as in
meetings at the Socialist Inter-
been entirely resolved, but it
doubtful that he would reopen it national.
now.
The reaction of Austrian Jews
The chancellor's Jewishness—in to a Jewish chancellor was sum-
crigin if not in active faith—is med up by one of their leaders:
well known, and Austrian anti- "Naturally, its a matter of pride
Semitic circles, mostly the lunati2 to have a Jew as chancellor, but
fringe but also some so-called practically it does not count one
"respectable" anti-Semites, have way or the other. However, in the
exploited it. The chancellor has general struggle against racism
taken this in stride and treated and anti-Semitism, Bruno Kreisky
it with contempt. His close friends always has been and remains a
say that he has always had an powerful ally."
attitude of "take it or leave it"
regarding his Jewishness.
The very last thing the ordinary
A man of gredt intellectual pow- industrial worker wants is to have
to
think about his work,
er as well as a shrewd and skill-
ful politician, Dr. Kreisky is ex-
—George Bernard Shaw.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Historian to Write Book
NEW YORK (JTA) — Stefan Lor-
ant, the Hungarian-barn historian
best known for his Lincoln re-
searches, said this week that his
next book will 'be on the nature ef
the Nazi rise to power, because
"it can happen again."
Appearing on the nationally Syn-
dicated televised "David Frost
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