(Vienna, 17 June 2026) The Jewish Community of Vienna has awarded Markus Müller, Rector of the Medical University of Vienna, the 2026 Marietta and Friedrich Torberg Medal. The award recognises his commitment to combating anti-Semitism, to ensuring a dignified remembrance of the Shoah, and to coming to terms with Nazi crimes at the MedUni Vienna.
The Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG) presented its highest honour at a ceremony in Vienna on Tuesday evening. Alongside Rector Markus Müller, the actor Cornelius Obonya and the psychologist and author Ahmad Mansour were also awarded the 2026 Marietta and Friedrich Torberg Medal.
IKG President Oskar Deutsch described Müller at the ceremony as a “pioneer and ally in the fight against all forms of anti-Semitism”. Müller, he said, had set a pioneering example at MedUni Vienna in ensuring a dignified commemoration of the Shoah and in addressing Nazi crimes.
The IKG’s highest honour
The Marietta and Friedrich Torberg Medal is awarded by the Jewish Community of Vienna to individuals who have shown exceptional commitment to an open, democratic society, to the remembrance of the Shoah and to the fight against anti-Semitism. The award commemorates the writer Friedrich Torberg and his wife Marietta.
The laureates were honoured on the basis of unanimous decisions by the IKG’s Executive Committee. The laudatory speeches were delivered by Federal Minister Claudia Bauer, Arnold Pollak and Danielle Spera.