Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who was abducted by the Soviets 63 years ago, has given us the gift of 100,000 lives. Each life is a whole world, but today we should focus on the remarkable life of Congressman Tom Lantos, who passed away a few days ago. Lantos, a Holocaust survivor, was one of the 100,000 lives saved by Wallenberg. Imagine the US Congress without Lantos. It would be fair to say that Lantos’ relentless and passionate struggle for the cause of human rights was inspired by his personal savior. The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, the NGO Lantos co-founded together with the Argentinian humanist Baruj Tenembaum has for a mission to develop educational programs based on the legacy of Wallenberg and to help secure answers about his fate and whereabouts. The void left by Tom cannot be measured, but we, his friends at the Foundation, shall do our utmost to keep his legacy alive.
Evelyne Noama
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation
February 15, 2008
