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Austria once denied its Nazi past. Now it sends young people abroad to confront it.

JL;DR SUMMARY In a significant effort to confront its Nazi past, Austria, which long portrayed itself as a victim rather than a perpetrator in World War II, established the Austrian Service Abroad program in 1998. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

HolocaustAnne FrankHolocaust EducationAustriaAustrian Service AbroadNazi HistoryHistorical ReconciliationAristides De Sousa MendesYoung Austrians

Places mentioned

Austria
"Bigga-Piskernig said he views the program as a way for Austria to make amends for its actions during World War II."
Long Island, New York, United States
"said Olivia Mattis, the president and CEO of the Sousa Mendes Foundation, a Long Island-based nonprofit"
Cabanas de Viriato, Viseu, Portugal
"Workers plant an Anne Frank Sapling on the grounds of the Museu Aristides de Sousa Mendes in Cabanas de Viriato, Portugal."
Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
"It was a tree and watching it was how she could mark the change of seasons. It lived to age 170, dying in 2010. At that point, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam took saplings from that tree"
Germany
"Austrians in the program are now in 66 countries, including Germany and Italy."
Italy
"Austrians in the program are now in 66 countries, including Germany and Italy."
Auschwitz, Lesser Poland, Poland
"Volunteers serve where memory is preserved, researched and passed on, whether that is Auschwitz, Yad Vashem,"
Jerusalem, Israel
"Volunteers serve where memory is preserved, researched and passed on, whether that is Auschwitz, Yad Vashem,"

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Cairo Item ID 86196
Cairo Source ID 42
Retrieved 2026-06-26 18:00:38 UTC
Curated 2026-06-26 19:00:25 UTC