Austria is to create a new award for fighting antisemitism within the country, named after Simon Wiesenthal, the man who dedicated his life to tracking down fugitive Nazi criminals after World War II, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
The prize will be given to three people or organizations every year who have made a mark on Austrian society, with hopes to inspire others to fight antisemitism, and comes with a reward of €30,000.
The award is backed by every political party in Austria with the exception of the right-wing Freedom party, who claimed that they object to the name of the award, saying it should be named after former Social Democratic Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, the Chronicle reported.
The award will be funded by the National Fund for the Victims of National Socialism, and be given to the individuals by six members, reportedly including the president of the Austrian Jewish community and one of the descendants of Simon Wiesenthal.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, also named after the former Nazi hunter, has been active organization in the Jewish world, working to condemn antisemitism around the world. The SWC describes itself as a “Jewish human rights” organization and says it has more than 400,000 member families in the US.
