History
Hans Wiener
In 1948, after the lost World War Two when Germany was in ruins, a new democratic government conceded to assume responsibility for the crimes committed by their predecessors.
One aspect of “Bewältigung der Vergangenheit” (to be aware of and to take responsibility for the atrocities committed against the Jews in the past war) was to institute indemnity payments to surviving victims of Nazi crimes.
“Despite the fact that I was eligible for such a payment, I could not bring myself to apply for it. I must have been on some kind of a list anyway and received one restitution payment of 5,000 West German marks for the loss of my parents, and a second payment of about the same amount for lost education. Since I considered the payment to be an irrelevant apology and incapable to compensate even the smallest fraction of my loss, I put the money aside. My intention was to create a fund for future family use.”
It was not until many years later that Hans felt compelled to provide evidence and testimony of the tragedy, which ended his parents’ life. In so doing, it also became Hans’ wish to institute a record for the benefit of his offspring and a memorial in honour of his parents.
Visions by Hans Wiener
- To commemorate Käte and Franz Wiener, parents of the founder of the Foundation, Hans Wiener
- To aid and support higher studies and education
- To develop and preserve Jewish values and culture in the State of Israel and abroad
- To remind future generations of the Holocaust and the brutal murder of Käte and Franz Wiener in the Nazi Death Camp Auschwitz on September 27, 1942
- To promote the development of the LevHa´Ir neighbourhood and the Wiener Heritage Center
- To protect and defend Jewish life and Jewish interests
Organization
The Foundation Council administrates its financial assets and its active sections.