Dr. Leopold's masterpiece

23-07-07 Vienna

The Leopold Museum situated in the Museum Quarter is the product of the private collection of Dr. and Mrs. Rudolf Leopold who have collected thousands of Austrian art works over the last half-century. The state built a grand contemporary building with stunning views from the top of the city. There are glass floors that allow a patron to see the floors underneath. The core collection is based on the works of the Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele.

The HBO production Murders Among Us was collaboration with the famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal based on his autobiography. Wiesenthal had previously turned down several offers to film his life story, but fortunately he allowed the genial Ben Kingsley to portray him which he did admirably. Wiesenthal- a survivor of Mauthausen nixed his plans to be an architect and devoted his life to achieving justice by pursing Nazis war criminals. The film takes a personal approach to understanding the life of Wiesenthal. He thought about committing suicide only to realize that it would be a triumph of Nazi ideology. It also strained his family life especially his relationship with his wife who did not approve of him being a Nazi hunter; his daughter faced anti-Semitism in school including a denial of the Holocaust. In 1982, Wiesenthal’s apartment in Vienna was bombed.

Arguably the most controversial aspect of Wiesenthal’s life was the Adolph Eichmann affair. In his autobiography, Wiesenthal took some credit for capturing Eichmann- the head of the S.S. section for Jewish deportations. This was a claim that was refuted by the Israelis who alleged that the Mossad- their secret service had done the work that had led to the kidnapping of Eichmann in Argentina. The film script has Wiesenthal stating that the Israelis did it, but he was proud to have aided them.

The most poignant scene in the film was the Franz Murer trial. Murer- known as the “butcher of Vilna” was condemned to a Russian labor camp in large part due to the evidence that was collected by Wiesenthal, but he was freed after only seven years and became an esteemed politician in Austria. An outraged Wiesenthal protested and had to put together a new case and evidence against the war criminal, but Murer was found innocent on all 17 counts. This scene was significant because it addressed the anti-Semitism and lack of responsibility undertaken by Austria in addressing their collaborations with and support for the Nazis. Austria even elected an ex-Nazi Kurt Waldheim as their Prime Minister.

Wiesenthal recently passed away in September of 2005 at the age of 96 in Vienna, but chose to be buried in Herzilia, Israel. Israel was in the process of a bitter disengagement from the Gaza strip that polarized their nation, but for one day, the Jewish state paused to remember this great man.