| Dorit B.
Whiteman was invited to speak and conduct a workshop in celebration of
the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Gedenkdienst [In the
Service of Memory]. This organization was founded by young non-Jewish Austrians
who wished to make amends for the misdeeds of the Austrian Hitler
generation. Although
already three generations removed from the perpetrators and participants
of Hitler�s Austria, they have dedicated themselves to serving in
various Holocaust institutions, such as Yad Vashem, the Anna Frank
House, Auschwitz, and the Leo Baeck Institute. They also acquaint the
current Austrian generation with the dark past of Austrian Nazi history.
In addition, they
research the contributions of Jewish Austrians to Austrian culture.
(For instance, on the lighter side, their research revealed that Johann
Strauss had one Jewish grandparent, much to the chagrin of former Nazis
and contrary to the sentimental view that only Aryan Austrians were able
to write waltzes.)
In connection with interest
generated by the anniversary celebration, Dorit Whiteman spoke at a
press conference and delivered a speech in Vienna about the current
state of mind of former refugees. She was interviewed on Austrian
radio and television. The meetings, filled with mostly young and highly motivated participants, had discussions and coffee �mit Schlag� deep into the night. The Gedenkdienst members� intense dedication, idealism, and earnest endeavors to help rectify a terrible wrong are inspirational.
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