Der Standard, July 29, 2020
German original: https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000119028111/designierter-oberrabbiner-engelmayer-corona-ist-ein-weckruf-gottes
Jaron Engelmayer moved from Israel to Vienna in August in order to become Chief Rabbi in the capital. He will still have to get used to a number of things, he said in a conversation before his departure.
STANDARD: You lived in Germany for a long time. The Viennese are said to have a so-called jo eh - mentality. Rules exist, but whoever demands they be strictly observed will soon become unpopular. Does this appeal to you as an orthodox Rabbi?
Engelmayer: It is the peoples’ decision how to live their lives, and that is a good thing. As a Rabbi, I can offer guidance, give answers, explain. When people come to me and say they want to love kosher and have questions about it, I am the person to explain that. So far for private life. When the Community is concerned, the procedures in the synagogue, I bear responsibility. I want to ensure that more people feel attached to the synagogue, and that those already coming to the synagogue want to do so in the future. Of course there are differences, some just want to have a conversation with someone, while others want to pray in peace. One excludes the other a little bit. I am also responsible for everyone to get along.
The Jewish Community Vienna is very heterogeneous. If you suggest a guiding line there will probably be someone who is not overjoyed. A problem for you?
True, that is not easy. I actually don’t like it; I always like to be on everybody’s side. In general I do like heterogeneity, but at the same time there have to be borders, and as an orthodox Rabbi I sometimes have to point them out.
Your grandfather was a Rabbi, too. Does it skip a generation?
Yes, in our family that might be the case. My father was a lawyer, and my son wants to become one, too. And my grandfather’s grandfather was a Rabbi as well.
During the Corona – crisis, many are plagued by anxiety about the future. Such fears bring some back to faith. Asking provocatively: Could the crisis be good for religious communities?
No. God has many ways of wake-up calls, and it is clear that this is a wake-up call. Maybe this wake-up call helps us to understand that our life does not just consist of material goods, and if it can’t be done in another way then maybe this is the approach to be shaken up. But it is always better not to find your way to god because of an emergency situation. I do not say: wonderful, god did this just so that people come to the synagogue again.
So you do see Corona and the economic crisis as an alarm signal suggesting that materialism is not everything?
They have definitely succeeded in shaking up the existing world order. Some routines that we have gotten accustomed to are definitely open to scrutiny. Does every vacation, even short and weekend trips, have to be connected to flying? Can a vacation closer by not be just as nice and relaxing? Isn’t it more important to spend quality time with family instead of a long distance journey? But if someone has just lost their job you can’t say: don’t think so materialistically.
Currently, people in Israel are taking to the streets every day to protest social injustice. Is the question of rich and poor of conern to you as a Rabbi?
I am not an opinion maker, I am not someone that is cited in the media. In Vienna this will be slightly different. Comments are judged differently if you hold the office of Chief Rabbi. I will have to bet used to that.
One topic you will be asked about a lot in Vienna is rising anti-Semitism.
Yes, in principal I am against it.
Maybe you will also be asked what you perceive as the bigger problem: Muslim or right-wing anti-Semitism.
That is an intriguing question that I will not respond to before I learned about it on location. Many have thought about it on location and I won’t be able to make competent statements from here. The question is how anti-Semitism can be fought. In Germany we had a lot of inter-religious projects, so Jews and non Jews could get to know each other.
The fight against anti-Semitism is not primarily a task of Jews. Is politics doing enough?
The announced measures against anti-Semitism in Austria are very commendable, in a few months I will be able to better evaluate that from close range.
Campaigns against religious dress regulations, against so-called schächten, against circumcision are often brought by right-wing groups. On the surface those are directed agains Muslims, but they also affect Jews. Will you consult with the Islamic communities in Vienna regarding such questions?
We were looking for contact in Cologne and met with the chief of the largest association of mosques in Germany, Ditib. This is a double-edged sword. On one hand there is a chance to stand up for something. On the other hand, there also exist differences that can not be talked away. And sometimes such contacts are also abused and all they are about is a pretty picture in the newspaper. However, I couldn’t say how things are in Austria – yet.
Did the FPO’s (Freedom Party) former participation in government make you think twice if you will go to Vienna or not?
I was invited as a guest speaker at last year’s new year’s party, exactly on election day. In the evening the results were known, and the president of the Jewish Community Vienna (IKG) did also talk about that it is a clear sign that the new government will be formed differently – a good sign for democratic Austria. For my family this is good, we come with less concerns to Vienna as far as the political landscape and anti-Semitism are concerned.