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Discover Jewish Vienna  Think Vienna and think Schoenberg, Schnitzler and Freud. These are just three Jewish names (among countless others) that immediately pop into mind: people who have contributed significantly to Vienna’s international reputation as a city of intellectuals and artists. No matter where one walks in this European metropolis, the visitor comes across monuments of a vibrant Jewish life and history. During the 13th and 14th centuries the Jews of Vienna were recognized as one of the most important Jewish communities in central Europe. Yet, as a group and as individuals Jews lived under the erratic whims of rulers and non-Jewish public opinion. By the 18th century, the city was host to an era of prominent Court Jews like Samuel Oppenheimer and Samson Wertheimer. They turned Vienna into a center of Jewish diplomacy within the Empire and an important crossroads for trade. Finally Emperor Joseph II issued an Edict of Tolerance (1781) that eventually led to the emancipation of the Jews. In the 19th and early 20th century the community grew rapidly and became one of the leading Jewish communities in the world. Avant-garde author Arthur Schnitzler, expressionist composer Arnold Schoenberg and the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud revolutionized their respective fields and placed Vienna on the world map of culture and science. Many Viennese Jews were able to flee from the Nazi terror. Others were deported, some ending in the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp or its satellite camps. Keeping the memory of the Shoah alive is a never-ending task for a city in which at one time every tenth person was Jewish. It has taken many decades for Austria to accept its responsibility for the crimes of the Nazis, but it is now doing so. Since 2000, Judenplatz is home to an extraordinary Holocaust memorial. Inspired by the Jewish love of learning, British artist Rachel Whitehead created a symbolic ’nameless library’ above the former old synagogue. The archaeological excavation of the Judenplatz synagogue is now part of the Jewish Museum and together the two memorial sites form a bridge of memory across time.  Today orthodox and liberal Jewish institutions of Vienna work for the future. The creation of new schools and education facilities, cultural exhibits and prayer rooms are contributing substantially to a pluralistic Jewish community. Milk & Honey Tours navigates through this maze of history and culture. We’ll help you to discover eight centuries of fascinating Jewish history in the Leopoldstadt district, to find secret and concealed cemeteries, to hear little-known tales about the Ferris Wheel and to be mesmerized by the stunning grandeur of the Ring St. palaces. Why not give in to tempta–tion and try a piece of kosher Wienerschnitzel and taste that Jewish life in Vienna isn’t just historical!
Tour Options 3 hour walking tour of Jewish Vienna (tour of the First District) In Vienna, Jewish life was originally located in the heart of the city. Within a short walk from the grand St. Stephen’s Cathedral we can find signs of all the main phases of Jewish history.4 hour walking tour with public transportation, Jewish Vienna Add one hour to the 3-hour tour of the First District and you will have the chance to experience the flavour of the prominent sites along the Ring Strasse: the Opera, the Hofburg (Hapsburg Imperial Palace), government ministries and the private palaces of Jewish families. Full day driving tour, Jewish and general Vienna (including Leopoldstadt) In a combined walking and driving day tour you can get the whole picture, exploring Jewish life and history around every corner. Multiple-day tour program Package for cruise ship passengers (Danube river cruises) Wedding trips Day Trips Mauthausen concentration camp memorial site Burgenland (May-October, Monday-Friday only) Please see the "Discover Europe" section of our website for further tour options in Vienna. Burgenland - Kosher Wine Tasting Highlights of Jewish history are combined with the beautiful landscape of Burgenland, a small province east of Vienna. Near Neusiedler Lake, this area belonged to Hungary until 1921. Permanent Jewish communities in Burgenland began establishing themselves in the 17th century, although the first date of Jewish settlement goes back to the 13th century. In Eisenstadt, we will visit the Jewish museum and private synagogue of Samson Wertheimer (1658-1724), an influential finance minister of the Habsburg Court in Vienna. This small jewel is one of the very few synagogues that was not destroyed during ’Crystal Night’ in 1938. After a short stroll through the old Jewish quarter we will reach the Jewish cemetery. Eisenstadt was the seat of the Esterhazy aristocratic family – patrons of the arts and wine-growers. Their impressive palace combines Baroque splendour with Austrian Biedermeier style. On request, a one-hour tour inside the palace can be booked in advance. Traveling on to Kobersdorf, this town is representative of the ‘Seven Communities’ (Sheva Kehillot), a chain of Jewish settlements from the 17th century. We will view the synagogue and cemetery with over 1000 graves. Kobersdorf was well-known as a Jewish spa in the past. A lunch break will be planned in the picturesque village of Rust, located among vineyards on the Neusiedler Lake shore. A visit to the kosher winery at Mönchhof with wine-tasting can be arranged.
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