January 17, 2012 is the 66th anniversary of the disappearance in 1945 and the subsequent death in the Soviet Union of Raoul Wallenberg, the young Swedish diplomat who sacrificed his life to rescue thousands of Jews in Hungary during the Second World War. Coinciding with the centenary of his birth in 1912, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, Casa Argentina in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University have organized a joint memorial event in his honor, titled The Legacy of Raoul Wallenberg, which will be held on 17 January at 11.00 am at the Cymbalista Jewish Heritage Center at Tel Aviv University.
At this event, there will be a presentation of the 2012 Raoul Wallenberg Award scholarships, which have been donated by the Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish Friends of Tel Aviv University. The two recipients have impeccable academic careers: Orna Keren-Carmel, graduated Magna Cum Laude in General History from the University of Tel Aviv and is currently pursuing a doctorate in the Department of Jewish Studies at the University of Tel Aviv; Yehonatan Alsheh, graduated Summa Cum Laude for his master’s degree in History at the University of Tel Aviv and is currently a doctoral candidate in the same subject.
The event will be moderated by Prof. Dina Porat, of Tel Aviv University and will be honored with the presence of the Ambassador of Sweden, Da. Elinor Hammarskjold. Admission is free. On behalf of the Wallenberg Foundation, Eli Yosef will give a talk on the life and work of the mythical hero with the title: When Passion becomes Compassion.
The mission of the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is to develop educational and outreach projects that promote solidarity and civic courage, the ethical cornerstones that inspired the deeds of the Saviors of the Holocaust. In Israel, the Foundation has developed the educational program Wallenberg in our School to offer lectures in schools about the rescue of Jews by the Swedish diplomat. As part of the education program, a play titled Heart of Stone, Heart of Flesh written by Eli Yosef, will soon premiere in Kiryat Gat. Students from the city high school will perform the play, which recounts the courageous attitude of the Swedish hero and his tragic fate.
The Wallenberg Foundation has offices in New York, Jerusalem, Buenos Aires and Berlin.
For details, contact the Wallenberg Foundation: www.raoulwallenberg.net
Translation: John Casey
