Elie Rosen re-elected to lead Jewish community in three states

Elie Rosen has been re-elected president of the Jewish community organisation serving Salzburg, Styria and Carinthia, ORF reported. The election result became final on August 24, and the newly elected board confirmed Rosen for another term at its inaugural meeting on Wednesday.

Rosen was first elected president of the then Salzburg Jewish community in 2023. He has led the Jewish community in Graz since 2016.

During his tenure, the organisation’s area of responsibility was expanded in 2024 to include Styria and Carinthia. Since then, the community has been the only Jewish community organisation in Austria with two permanent locations, in Graz and Salzburg.

Synagogue renovation and cultural centre planned

The Israelite Religious Community said the new term was already being shaped by major institutional projects. The historic synagogue in Salzburg is currently undergoing extensive renovation to prepare it for future religious, cultural and social activities.

In Graz, Austria’s first Jewish cultural centre run by a Jewish community is scheduled to open at the beginning of September after years of planning.

“We do not want to reduce Jewish life to the question of security,” Rosen said. He described the Graz cultural centre and the Salzburg synagogue renovation as visible signs of a vibrant, confident and forward looking form of Judaism.

Rosen also warned that Jewish communities were increasingly being pushed into an outsider position in current political debates. He said their security concerns were often not considered politically expedient as extremist groups gained strength, while their small population meant that their concerns were receiving less priority in party political calculations.