May 26, 2004

May 2004

Wallenberg educational center inaugurated in Argentina

The First “Raoul Wallenberg” Community and Educational Center in Argentina was inaugurated on May 14. The ceremony took place in 4650 Juan B. Justo, La Juanita, Km 27.7 of route 3, in the city of Gregorio Laferrere, La Matanza county, Buenos Aires province.

Tribute to murdered diplomats

On May 13 the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation paid tribute to the UN diplomats and officials murdered in 2003. The ceremony took place at the Embassy of Chile in Buenos Aires and the host was the head of the diplomatic legation, Ambassador Juan Gabriel Valdés.

Wallenberg’s sister visited the United States

Nina Lagergren, Raoul Wallenberg’s sister and Honorary Member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, traveled to Minneapolis, USA. Mrs. Lagergren visited the Israel Temple where she spoke about the life and deeds of the “Hero without a Grave“, savior of tens of thousands of persecuted in Hungary, during the Nazi occupation. Mrs. Lagergren’s visit was sponsored by the Raoul Wallenberg Living Memorial, an initiative of the Swedish Institute of the United States. On the occasion, the Swedish Honorary Consul to that city announced the inauguration of the Raoul Wallenberg Educational Center in Argentina.

Giovanni Palatucci, savior of the Holocaust

Palatucci’s work consisted of editing the residence papers required by law for refugees. He silently started to falsify documents and visas. When Palatucci ”officially deported” Jews, he arranged that they would be sent to Campania, by telling ”his” refugees to contact his uncle, who would offer them the greatest assistance possible.

Buenos Aires Herald – “Paying tribute to victims”

Michael Soltys, Senior Editor of the Buenos Aires Herald daily newspaper founded in 1874, presents his chronicle of the tribute paid to international diplomats and officials murdered in 2003.

Argentine school named for Wallenberg

Read the article published by “The Jerusalem Post” about the inauguration of the Raoul Wallenberg Educational Center in Argentina.

Law School and the Holocaust

On April 20 the International Seminar “Diplomacy and the Holocaust” took place organized by the Public Law Department of the Buenos Aires University School of Law and the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation

Looking for people saved by Thomas Preston

In 1940, in Kovno, Lithuania, the British Consul Thomas Preston extended 400 illegal certificates to travel to Palestine, through Istanbul to persecuted Jews . Thanks to this action of solidarity and civic courage hundreds of people saved their lives, many of them crossing the Baltic Sea to find shelter in Sweden.

Looking for individuals saved by the Heroes: Wallenberg and Sousa Mendes

The IRWF is looking for individuals and/or family members of those saved by Raoul Wallenberg in Budapest in 1944-1945 and for those saved by Aristides de Sousa Mendes in Bordeaux or Bayonne in June 1940.

Please contact us irwf@irwf.org

The Wallenberg Foundation changes on the Net

We announce the launch of the new International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation site. Among the changes it is worth mentioning:

  • A re-design following the most modern visual and web surfing standards
  • A powerful search engine
  • Unique characteristics of accessibility that follow WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative of the Word Wide Web Consortium) international rules and U.S. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act that guarantee the use of the site by visually impaired people with the same level as all users.
  • New ways of surfing and linking of contents, by means of meta-data.

The site is presented in complete English and Spanish versions with 700 pages organized in 90 sections each language . Versions in other languages are coming soon.