Reclaiming Austrian citizenship – with mixed feelings

NOMI KALTMAN reflects on her choice to become a citizen of the country that rejected her grandfather

I was born into an Australian Jewish family. On my mum’s side, we can trace our lineage back to the Victorian goldrush, where my ancestors are buried in the Jewish section of the Ballarat cemetery. On my dad’s side, my grandfather was a Holocaust survivor, and my grandmother was born in Shepparton.

I love being Australian. I feel very connected to this country and its culture. I have never experienced antisemitism and it is a nice place to live and raise my kids.  

I think Jewish people here have the best of both worlds: the opportunity to live in peace and security in a multicultural society that provides space for every person’s religious and cultural practices alongside their Australian identity.

A few months ago, I was filled with mixed emotions as my husband and I decided to apply for Austrian citizenship and become dual citizens.

My great, great-grandmother, Tzipporah (Josephine) Trebitsch, was born in the late 1800s in the Austrian town of Mattersdorf. Her husband, my great, great-grandfather, was Rabbi Yehoshua Tzvi Trebitsch. They had children and lived comfortable lives in Austria.

However, in 1938, when the Anschluss occurred, Austria was annexed by Adolf Hitler who created a political union between Austria and Germany.  

Life for Austrian Jews became unbearably difficult. Antisemitism surged and it was common for synagogues, Jewish shops and apartments to be targeted. Nazism crept into daily living, which culminated in Kristallnacht.

My great great-grandparents decided to leave Austria and because my great great-grandfather was a rabbi, he was granted one of 500 special visas for rabbis and their spouses to emigrate to British Mandate Palestine. They left in 1939 and never returned.