VZCZCXRO9146
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVI #3407 3311454
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271454Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5630
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS VIENNA 003407 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR DRL/SEAS, EUR/OHI, EUR/AGS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KNAR PHUM PGOV AU
SUBJECT: Vandal Trashes Jewish School in Vienna 
 
 
THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT 
ACCORDINGLY.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  A prominent Jewish school in Vienna, the Lauder 
Chabad School, was the subject of a destructive rampage early Sunday 
morning.  The suspect, who seems to have acted alone, reportedly 
identified himself to police at his arrest as "Adolf Hitler." 
However, it remains unclear whether the man had a political motive, 
or was simply deranged.  There was no guard at the school at the 
time of the attack.  The Vienna Jewish Community (IKG) explained 
that it could not provide 24-hour security coverage.  Vienna's 
Christian and Muslim communities expressed solidarity with the 
Jewish community over the incident.  The school is a project of the 
Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, a charity of the former U.S. Ambassador 
to Austria.  End Summary. 
 
¶1. (U) At about 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 26, a man broke into 
Vienna's Lauder Chabad School, a facility that educates some 360 
children.  The man then went on a rampage, breaking windows, glass 
doors and showcases with an iron rod.  No one from the school was 
present during the attack, and there were no injuries.  The school 
was in session as usual on Monday, November 27, the worse for wear 
but open for business. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Police arrested the man, a roughly 30-year-old reportedly 
of Croatian origin, as soon as he left the building.  School board 
head Rabbi Jacob Biderman told journalists that the man told the 
police that he was "Adolf Hitler."  Police reports record that the 
man said he "does not like Jews."  Nevertheless, police have not yet 
determined whether the man had neo-Nazi links, or was simply 
deranged. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Biderman's office told us it was rather hard to believe 
that a single person could have done all the damage, especially 
because some of the destroyed glass was bulletproof.  However, no/no 
evidence has yet turned up that would indicate the involvement of 
anyone besides the suspect in custody. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The school was not under guard at the time of the attack. 
Ariel Muzicant, the President of the Jewish Community (IKG), 
explained at a press conference that the IKG simply did not have the 
financial resources to provide 24-hour guards at the 40 Jewish 
institutions in Vienna.  As a result, there is a guard presence only 
when students and staff are present.  However, Muzicant said, the 
IKG will have to look into expanding the school's security measures. 
 IKG Executive Director Erika Jakubovits told us the IKG was 
concerned about the emotional impact of the attack, both on the 
school's students and on the broader Jewish community.  (Note:  The 
Austrian government contributes funds toward IKG security needs. 
The government has also offered to provide police coverage, and does 
so in the case of some facilities.  However, the IKG has rejected 
police coverage in many cases, arguing that it needs more 
specialized security services, and has called instead for increased 
funding.  End note.) 
 
¶5. (U) The Muslim Community (IGGO) expressed deep concern over the 
attack.  IGGO integration representative Omar Al Rawi termed it an 
"assault against open, tolerant Vienna."  Christoph Cardinal 
Schoenborn called the attack an "act of barbarism."  Citing the 
school's role as a symbol of the reconstruction of the Jewish 
community after the Holocaust, he strongly condemned anti-Semitic 
talk as "absolutely unacceptable."  Similarly, the Austrian 
Protestant Church and the Austrian Ecumenical Council expressed 
"shock and disgust" over the attack. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Lauder Chabad School is a project of the Ronald S. 
Lauder Foundation, a charitable organization under the sponsorship 
of former U.S. Ambassador to Austria Ronald Lauder.  The school 
seeks to reinvigorate Jewish life in Vienna.  The Foundation's 
website notes, "the curriculum, designed to develop proud, informed 
young Jews, focuses on the creative teaching of Hebrew, Talmud and 
Jewish history in addition to high-level secular studies."  The 
Foundation sponsored the construction of the present school building 
in 1999.  Muzicant has often expressed regret to us for the fact 
that the Foundation chose to build a largely glass construction, 
making it extremely vulnerable to attack.  While the Foundation pays 
the school's operating costs, the IKG is responsible for security, 
Muzicant told us.