Adolf Hall, Pablo Neruda, and the “Super Jews” | Sun | 24 09 2023 | 7:05

24 September 2023, at 07:05

1. When justice is coupled with generosity, life becomes better – Bible article on Matthew 20:1-16

It’s one of the most widely used quotes – and like many other sayings still in use, it comes from the Bible: “The last shall be first.” On Sunday, September 24, this point of the parable can be heard at Catholic services, in the author’s version of the Gospel of Matthew. The parable tells of the workers of the vineyard, where those who were hired last received as much as those who worked from the beginning. Texts like these initially stimulate the imagination of their readers. Mireya Coetzer, professor of Catholic theology at the University of Kassel, is convinced of this: “These texts provoke a cinema in the mind in which the world seems a little different, and perhaps better, than it usually is. Ask what kind of world we want to live in? Maybe these texts will change our perspective.” What we consider unchangeable.

2. Sympathy for the “church rebel” – Adolf Hall and Christoph Cardinal Schönborn

This year marks 50 years since theologian, sociologist of religion, journalist and writer Adolf Hall (1930-2019) lost his Catholic teaching license; In 1976, he was suspended from the priesthood. The conflict essentially began with Hall’s book Jesus in Bad Company (1971). Hall wondered, among other things, whether Jesus wanted an institutional church led by clergy. Adolf Holl’s complete works are currently being republished by Residenz-Verlag, the latest of which is: The Last Christian, The Extraordinary Autobiography of Francis of Assisi. In it, Hall paints a three-dimensional picture of thirteenth-century morality and describes the life and work of Francis of Assisi, “the observant outsider and fasting artist of life.” The book was presented at the Archbishop’s Palace in Vienna, and Adolf Hall was honored by Christoph Cardinal Schönborn. Brigitte Krautgartner was there.

3. An unambiguous sense of the “sanctity of life” – Pablo Neruda and his “Onion Poem”

He was certainly not a saint, but was – among other things – a loyal communist and glorified Stalin, something he later regretted: Pablo Neruda (1904 – 1973), Chilean diplomat, poet and writer. It is indisputable that he campaigned against fascism in his home country and in Spain. In 1971 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, and in 1973 he died shortly after the military coup in Chile and Pinochet’s rise to power. It is not unlikely that the 69-year-old man was poisoned.

Pablo Neruda, who died fifty years ago on September 23, 1973, was no saint – yet he had “an unmistakable sense of the sanctity of life,” in the words of religious philosopher Ursula Pátz. The “Onion Poem” performed by August Schmolzer also attests to this.

4. Jewish identity on the football field – Visit the “Super Jews” exhibition.

The stadium – an arena for sporting competition, an entertainment space, and a space where the color of the shirt, the crest and the name of the club are carried deep in the hearts of many. Football is like a religion for some people, and for many it is a way of life – including communal feelings and boundaries. For example, Ajax Amsterdam fans like to describe themselves and the club as “super-Jews.” The current exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Vienna deals with how Jewish identity is promoted, marketed, and displayed in European football stadiums, and Lisa Gangelbauer visited for the “Art of Living.” One person who knows “The Violet Spirit” from the distribution circuit in Vienna, the home stadium of the Austria Club Wien – repeatedly referred to as the “Jewish Club” – is photographer Daniel Shaked. Lisa Gangelbauer spoke with him and museum director and curator Barbara Staudinger about Jewish identities on the football field – and, among other things, delved into the question of what makes a club Jewish.

service

Adolf Hall: “The Last Christian”; Residence Publishing House
Pablo Neruda: “Poems”; Suhrkamp published
August Schmolzer: “In the end everything becomes visible”; Guardian Edition

Bible Essay on Matthew 20:1-16
August Schmolzer
Jewish Museum Vienna
Daniel Shaked
Austria Vienna Football Club
SC Hakoah
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