April 2000 Austria's Threat To Freedom By Rabbi Alvin Kass The inclusion of Jšrg Haider and his ultra-rightist Freedom Party in Austria's new coalition government has moved the European Union's other fourteen members to downgrade diplomatic relations with Austria. The strong negative reaction evoked by Haider results from his neo-Nazi views. He propounds a revisionist view of Hitler, whom he credits with saving Europe from Communism and developing successful labor policies which put the Germans back to work. He is also blatantly anti-immigrant in posters that portray foreigners as threatening the virtue of fair and red-cheeked Austrian girls as well as the jobs of blue-eyed, blue collar Austrian boys. The European Union is rightly revolted by all this because it desires to establish an identity which puts it irrevocably on the side of liberty, democracy, human rights, and an end to ethnic persecution. Ironically, Haider's backing comes from a political organization that calls itself the Freedom Party. Furthermore, he has been thrust into a position of national prominence through the properly constitutional maneuvers of a parliamentary democracy to form a coalition government. Nevertheless, what he stands for poses a threat to all that freedom and democracy represent. Sadly, there are too many other instances where unscrupulous demagogues have used freedom and democracy to destroy the same. Nothing is more vulnerable than A free society. The Jews have learned that truth the hard way. It is clear that, in Jewish tradition, freedom is the prerequisite to the good life. The story of the Exodus from Egypt, which recounts the Jewish fight for freedom, lies at the very center of Jewish experience. In the Bible, ethics are grounded in the deliverance from Egyptian servitude. Sabbath observance and the recitation of the Kiddush prayers are also linked to the Exodus, thereby indicating that there can be no sanctity or holiness without freedom. However, the Rabbis knew that it was a lot easier to mouthe slogans than to establish the reality of freedom. Freedom is a tender plant that requires constant nurturing. Paradoxically, freedom presupposes a goodly measure of discipline and self-restraint. Without freely assumed order and responsibility freedom will quickly degenerate into license and anarchy. Education is also essential to the preservation of freedom. Just as Thomas Jefferson insisted that well-informed citizens are essential to a democracy, so Jews throughout the ages have taken very seriously the duty to study and learn. Freedom is likewise intimately related to economic status. Democracy has been defined as "freedom plus groceries." Hungry people do not appreciate freedom and will often barter away that liberty for economic security. Most important, hate is anathema to a free society. Jews are commanded to love strangers since they were strangers in the land of Egypt. That Egyptian experience, instead of making the Jew a prisoner of bitter memories, became the springboard for constant exhortations to manifest compassion, generosity and love to all human beings. People whose lives are ruled by hate can never be free. That is precisely why Jšrg Haider and his Freedom Party are so dangerous. Europe has a long history in which the Jšrg Haiders of previous generations perpetrated unspeakable horrors that threatened the very survival of human civilization. The enemies of freedom stoke the forces of hatred, exploit economic insecurity, reject the strictures of restraint, and fear a well-informed citizenry. This Jewish understanding of freedom can save Austria, Europe, and all other peoples from the pitfalls that endanger liberty and democracy. The price of freedom is, indeed, eternal vigilance. Only if weremain alert to the perils posed by Jšrg Haider and his ilk, will a free Europe and a free world endure. Miryom, Sarah, Lewis, and Danny join me in wishing you a Happy and Kosher Pesach!