Honored Persons

Paul Chaim Eisenberg

Paul Chaim Eisenberg (born June 26, 1950 in Vienna) was Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community in Vienna from 1983 to mid-2016. Eisenberg comes from a rabbinic family. Among other things, he completed a rabbinate study in Jerusalem. After the death of his father Akiba Eisenberg in 1983 he took over the position as Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community Vienna. From 1988 until today Eisenberg has also been chief rabbi of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Austria. In addition to his work as chief rabbi, he appears as a singer again and again, for example at the annual KlezMore Festival and also the cantor concert in Vienna. In 2001, in collaboration with the ORF, he released a CD of Yiddish songs and Hasidic sages and tales titled "As the Rebbe laughs". If one wants to know something about Jewish humor in Vienna, he must not miss Paul Chaim Eisenberg. Eisenberg is criticized by some community members as "entertainer". For him, however, humor is not an end in itself, but above all a method to draw the attention of the listener to more serious concerns. Paul Chaim Eisenberg has received numerous honors, including the Great Golden Medal of Honor with the Star for Services to the Republic of Austria (presented by Heinz Fischer on September 29, 2010.