A Jewish family was violently thrown out of an Uber in Vienna after the driver discovered that some of the passengers were Israeli, in an incident condemned as part of Europe’s rising tide of antisemitism, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The Antisemitism Reporting Centre of the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG) reported that the family — a couple with two children aged 10 and 13, and a 75-year-old grandmother — had ordered a taxi to celebrate a birthday. Once the driver realised some of the passengers were from Israel, he allegedly began shouting abuse, calling them “child murderers.”
He pulled the car over, ordered the family out, and continued his tirade on the roadside. According to IKG president Oskar Deutsch, the abuse escalated into physical aggression when the driver pushed the father and threatened to strike him, while the children cried in distress.
The family received assistance from the IKG in filing a police complaint. Uber confirmed that it is investigating the matter in coordination with the community and local authorities. The company issued a statement condemning the assault: “We stand with the victims of these terrible assaults, which we strongly condemn. There is no place for violence or discrimination on Uber, and we take every such report extremely seriously. Our dedicated team immediately investigates each case and takes action, which can include banning the accused party from Uber.”
The attack has prompted wider concern across Austria. Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, called for “decisive action” against antisemitism. Israeli ambassador to Austria David Roet noted that such incidents have become “routine” in Austria and across Europe, stressing: “Although this behaviour does not represent the entire population of Austria, it is an intolerable reality… hatred and antisemitism must not be normalised and must not be indifferently accepted.”
The IKG said this was only the latest in a series of incidents where Jews in Austria had faced discrimination for being visibly Jewish, speaking Hebrew or Yiddish, or revealing Israeli origins. Deutsch highlighted other cases, including Israeli patrons ejected from a restaurant and a Salzburg cinema refusing to screen a film about Jewish life.
He warned that the climate of hostility was forcing Jews to conceal their identities: “It is intolerable that, in the face of such threats, Jews are constantly thinking about hiding Jewish symbols, not speaking the language, or avoiding certain regions altogether. If decisive action is not taken… there will soon be no place left for Jews in Europe.”
The incident underscores the worsening climate of antisemitism in Austria, where Jewish leaders fear open hostility is being trivialised and gradually legitimised in mainstream society.
Photo credit: REUTERS/ELISABETH MANDL
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