Naming Ceremony of the Elisabeth-Ben David-Hindler-Park on September 6th, 2020
Around 80 people gathered at Elderschplatz on this day to honour Dr Elisabeth Ben David-Hindler. Among those present included friends, acquaintances and relatives of or Liesl, as she was called by those close to her. Also present were many of her former students who are happy to join in the celebration to commemorate her with the naming of a park in her honour.
Elisabeth Ben David-Hindler came from a Jewish family in Vienna. Her grandparents fell victim to the Shoah. She studied sociology in Vienna and graduated in 1977 with a dissertation on “The development of Austrian newspapers attitude towards Israel ”. She worked for 23 years as a teacher in an alternative school and as a life and social counsellor.
By founding the “Stones of Remembrance” Association, her goal was to make the life and fate of Viennese Jewish residents murdered in the Holocaust visible in the form of memorial plaques set in the sidewalk.
Through incredible tenacity and strength, she managed to achieve her goals of giving victims of the Shoah a visible place in their stolen homeland. She did this using “stones of memory” that now shape the cityscape of Vienna. At the same time, it was always important to her that her project be anchored in the Viennese population. Many Viennese residents showed interest and commitment from the start.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The following people spoke during the ceremony: Liesl’s daughter and current general secretary of the Stones of remembrance Association: Daliah Hindler, close friend and chairwoman: Vally Steiner, District Director Uschi Lichtenegger and Deputy District Director Astrid Rompolt .
The Avanim musical ensemble accompanied the festive event to the delight of many who joined in with singing. A particularly moving moment was the song: “Unter dem Pflaster liegt der Strand” as many among those gathered remembered singing this alongside Liesl.