An Austrian developer plans to build a luxury villa neighborhood and a school on a site where thousands of Jewish graves have been located since the 13th century in Hainburg an der Donau, according to the ultra-Orthodox organization Atra Kadisha - an international organization for the preservation of Jewish cemeteries and gravesites.
Despite extensive historical evidence confirming that Jews were buried at the site for centuries, local authorities have succumbed to pressure and what some in the Jewish community call “misinformation,” the organization said. As a result, the historic burial ground is set to be destroyed.
Sixteen years ago, the Hainburg municipality acknowledged the existence of the Jewish cemetery and rejected a construction permit for a plot of land purchased by a developer, designating it as a "green area not for development." However, after years of legal and bureaucratic efforts, the developer has now secured approval for his construction plans, Atra Kadisha officials said.
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“The decision was made despite centuries-old archival records documenting the Jewish cemetery’s existence,” the organization stated. “Additionally, historical research confirms that a Jewish burial ground existed there as early as the 13th century, with possible evidence of its use for many centuries before that.”
The site currently lacks visible markers of a cemetery, as gravestones disappeared in ancient times, the group said. Over the years, some headstones have been discovered in the courtyard of a local priest’s home. Atra Kadisha has presented documents it claims further support its assertion that the land was once a Jewish burial ground.
"This would be a stain on the Austrian government and people—to erase and desecrate such a significant Jewish historical site," Atra Kadisha said in a statement. "The destruction of the Jewish cemetery in Hainburg must not be allowed. This is an urgent call for broad international action. The world will not remain silent in the face of this disgraceful act. This must not happen in Austria in 2025."