Vienna, 1981

Vienna, Austria
Aug. 29, 1981

 In 1981, the Stadttempel of Vienna was attacked by the Abu Nidal Organization in a terrorist attack. 
Many guests had come to the synagogue to celebrate a bar mitzva, something the attackers knew about and chose to exploit. (Arutz Sheva) Two Palestinian gunmen tried to break into the synagogue, but the gates to the compound were closed. Instead, they open-fired with machine guns and tossed four grenades into the crowd. Two people were killed: a mother, who had thrown herself on top of a friend's baby to shield him from the grenade blast, and an elderly man. (JTA) Another 21 people were injured. (New York Times) 
The windows of the building shattered, and the facade was riddled with bullet holes. A pool of blood formed at the front door. 
The same synagogue had been attacked in 1979, but without casualties. Another attack was foiled in 2016. (The Jewish Press)

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