Organization to Gather Wallenberg Survivors for the First Time
On August 4th 2009 The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) is going to celebrate Wallenberg’s 97th birthday with a unique gathering that will reunite about twenty survivors rescued by Wallenberg, living in the New York area. The gathering will take place at 10:30 am at the IRWF’s headquarters, located at 34 East 67th Street.
”The reunion is a response to Wallenberg Survivors’ wish to meet each other and our way to thank them for sharing their inspiring life stories with us,” says IRWF founder Baruch Tenembaum. He is referring to the work produced by the organization’s most exciting project to date, ”Documenting Wallenberg.” Aimed at preserving testimonies, the program has compiled an extended collection of interviews that give insight into Wallenberg’s courageous life and heroism. ”Not only have we compiled an archive of firsthand accounts about Wallenberg’s courageous life and rescue missions, but also invaluable friendships with these ‘Wallenberg Survivors,” explains Tenembaum.
Click here for more information
Chance Meeting Saved a Life – The story of Mr. and Mrs. Adler
Agnes and David Adler are two of many ”Wallenberg Survivors” that have shared with us their story of rescuing, and that will take part in the gathering on August 4, 2009, at the IRWF Headquarters in New York. Lois Goldrich, a journalist from the ”New Jersey Jewish Standard,” was intrigued by these Westwood locals and did an article on them following our press release on the reunion.
To read the article click here
To read the interview with Agnes and David Adler from our ”Documenting Wallenberg” project click here
Raoul Wallenberg Birthday in Buenos Aires
People rescued by Raoul Wallenberg, teachers and volunteers from the IRWF Buenos Aires office will gather on August 4th 2009 at the remembrance ceremony in honor of Raoul Wallenberg’s 97th birthday. The gathering will take place next to the Raoul Wallenberg monument ”Hero without the grave” on the corner of Austria Street and Figueroa Alcorta Avenue in the city of Buenos Aires. Famous Argentine writer Marcos Aguinis will talk at the event.
Wallenberg Day in Iowa, August 4th, 2009
In honor of the bravery, heroism and courage of Raoul Wallenberg, Governor Chet Culver has officially declared August 4th, 2009, as Raoul Wallenberg Day in the State of Iowa, following the initiative of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.
Temple Judah, The Synagogue in Cedar Rapids Iowa, will be dedicating their Shabbat morning service on August 1st, 2009, to Raoul Wallenberg. The service is open to the public and will welcome anybody interested in honoring this brave man.
For More information click here: http://www.templejudah.org/
Celebrating the 97th Birthday of Raoul Wallenberg in Babahoyo, Ecuador and Montevideo, Uruguay
Students from the Raoul Wallenberg Schools in Ecuador and Uruguay will participate in ceremonies in honor of Wallenberg’s 97th birthday this August 4th. Students will recite poems about the Swedish diplomat and share stories about his life, heroism, and courage, as well as about all the places and monuments around the world that bear his name. The program will take place in the auditorium of the schools. The participation of students will be in Spanish and English.
In focus: Norway
Knut Hamusn Celebration in Norway
In March 2009, Norway assumed chairmanship of the 27-nation task force for International Co-operation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research.
A few months earlier, the Norwegian government announced that 2009 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Knut Hamsun, Nobel Prize winner and one of the Norway’s best known writers. The Norway National Library will be responsible for the official anniversary celebration.
An avid supporter of Adolf Hitler, Mr. Hamsun was pleased to welcome the Nazi invasion of his country, and in 1943 he gave his Nobel Prize as a gift to Joseph Goebbels.
The IRWF tried to raise a voice against such an honoring through various articles published world-vide. Moreover, in order to promote more positive human values embodied by the righteous actions of the Rescuers, we started a search for new rescue stories from Norway.
- Derby Telegraph Hamsun tribute is ‘disconcerting‘
- Buenos Aires Herald Norway and Knut Hamsun
- Haaretz Raoul Wallenberg Foundation slams Norway for ‘vindicating Nazis’
The IRWF in the Norwegian Press
Leading Norwegian newspapers have reported the IRWF opinion on the celebration of the Knut Hamsun’s anniversary.
To read the article click here
Search: New Rescuers from Norway
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is looking for any information regarding Norwegian citizens that saved persecuted people during World War II. Information regarding relatives of Norwegian Rescuers will also be welcome. Anyone who could provide us testimonies and information is kindly requested to contact our office in New York: 34 East 67 Street, New York, NY 10065, USA – Phone: +1 (212) 737-3275
In other news
Polish Diplomat Received Recognition
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation distinguished Polish diplomat Izabela Matusz, the economic attaché at the Polish Embassy in Buenos Aires, for her praiseworthy human values, dedication to the discovery of historic truth and impeccable professional career.
Ms. Matasz’s cooperation permitted the IRWF to discover unknown rescuers of persecuted people during the WWII, such as Stanislawa Slawinska, a Polish woman who saved the lives of Ms. Esfira Maiman and her family members.
The Ceremony took place on July 29th, 2009, at the Embassy of Poland in Buenos Aires.
H2 News Segment About the IRWF
Their stories convey experiences of hope, persecution, and survival. They are the testimonies of several Jews who were Nazi prisoners during World War II.
By means of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, they speak today from the point of view of having seen the war first hand, of having lost their family, and of their experiences of the concentration and extermination camps, all during the Second World War.
To look at the segment click here
Turkey: Between Darkness and Light
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is still researching rescuing actions of the Turkish diplomats stationed in France during the WWII. A new article about this subject and addressing the organization’s research was published recently in the Jerusalem Post
To read the article click here
