Jailed Jewish historian slams Austrian authorities for anti-Semitism

A Jewish historian, known for his outspoken views on the way in which Austria addresses its Nazi past, began a one year jail sentence on Monday after being convicted of defrauding the state.

Stephan Templ was jailed for omitting the name of an estranged aunt in an application on behalf of his mother for the return of property seized from his Jewish relatives by the Nazis.

The disputed property was a villa in Vienna owned by cousins of Templ's grandparents. Templ’s mother was one of 40 heirs to receive compensation for their part-ownership of the building. In 2011, after the compensation had already been paid, Templ’s mother's estranged sister discovered that she had missed the deadline for submitting the claim. Austrian authorities said that by not telling his aunt about the claim, he had theoretically prevented the state from receiving its share of the asset if the aunt renounced her claim. The courts ignored the fact that the aunt stated that she was unwilling to renounce her claim.

Templ is the author of a book cataloging hundreds of prominent Jewish-owned properties seized by the Nazis that were never returned, and leading Holocaust historians who believed that the prosecution was linked to Templ's work, have condemned the conviction as a “deeply troubling overreaction," according to the Guardian.

Templ told Israeli daily Haaretz that his “Kafkaesque” case was “completely absurd” and even bordered on anti-Semitic persecution. He was sentenced in 2013 to three years imprisonment, however his jail time was reduced upon appeal.