(Vienna, 07 May 2025) Senior Cantor Shmuel Barzilai, a long-time friend of the Medical University of Vienna and musical accompanist of the annual commemoration at the Memorial against Forgetting on the Day of the University, has been awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art for his cultural services.
The award ceremony took place at the beginning of April at the Künstlerhaus Vienna. In his laudatory speech, former President of the National Council Wolfgang Sobotka praised Barzilai's outstanding achievements for cultural life in Austria - in particular his contribution to the preservation of Jewish cultural heritage and the promotion of interreligious dialog. The Rectors of the Medical Universities of Vienna and Innsbruck, Markus Müller and Wolfgang Fleischhacker, were also among the well-wishers and emphasized with their presence Barzilai's close ties with both institutions, especially in the context of the memorial events for the Jewish members of the former medical faculties who were expelled from 1938.
Ministerial Councillor Doris Wolfslehner presented the award with words of thanks and described Barzilai as an "honorary guest of peace" - an allusion to Erich Fried, recognizing his many years of commitment to cultural exchange and reconciliation. Oskar Deutsch, President of the Jewish Community of Vienna, also honored Barzilai as a tireless ambassador of Jewish culture and expressed his great appreciation on behalf of the community.
The ceremony was accompanied by music from Roman Grinberg, Aliosha Biz and Alexander Shevchenko, whose contributions brought the ceremony to a worthy close. Moved, Shmuel Barzilai expressed his gratitude for the award and emphasized the great personal and cultural significance of this honor for him.