On June 6th, the newly elected executive board made an official visit to Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. President Oskar Deutsch, Vice President Claudia Prutscher, Vice President Michael Galibov, and the Secretary General for Jewish Affairs, Benjamin Nägele, briefed the President on the recent elections within the Jewish community and the resulting democratic legitimacy established for the new term.
They also expressed the Jewish community's concern about the significant right-wing political shift in Austria and thanked the head of state for his clear and unwavering stance opposing any far-right and antisemitic movements. Other topics discussed included the impact of high inflation and rising prices, as well as the war in Ukraine. The Federal President expressed gratitude to IKG for their humanitarian efforts in supporting Ukrainian refugees. Since the outbreak of the war, the IKG has aided over 1,200 displaced individuals, with 250 of them already becoming members of the community. This relief effort by the religious community is the largest of its kind since the Shoah.
