Commemorative Events
Wallenberg Disappearance Commemorated on January 17. The 62nd anniversary of the disappearance of Raoul Wallenberg was marked in Buenos Aires and other cities. Some 100 people -including Holocaust survivors, foreign dignitaries, local politicians, Jewish community leaders and members of the local Islamic Center- gathered on Wednesday near a sculpture of Wallenberg in the Argentine capital to honor the Swedish diplomat who saved Jews from the Nazis. Other tributes were held in New York, Stockholm, Paris, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Berlin, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Caracas, Montevideo and Santiago, Chile.
Holocaust Survivors Shared Their Stories on the Anniversary of Raoul Wallenberg’s Disappearance. Park East Synagogue and The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation presented ”Remembering Raoul Wallenberg: Holocaust Survivors Share Their Stories,” to mark the anniversary of the disappearance of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who selflessly rescued tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazis. The event was designed to allow families and individuals a rare opportunity to learn first-hand from the experiences of those who lived through the horrors of the Holocaust. Special guest speakers included survivors Rabbi Arthur Schneier, who was in Budapest when Wallenberg disappeared; Agnes Adachi, who collaborated in Wallenberg’s rescue operation; and Kayla Kaufman, who was a child at the time and owes the survival of her family to the Swedish diplomat. The evening also featured a special musical performance of ”Prologue” and ”Messages for Raoul Wallenberg,” by award-winning American composer Terry Winter Owens, performed by Soprano Patricia Sonego and the Reizen Ensemble.
Hundreds of Holocaust Survivors, Rescuers and Liberators Attended Commemoration Event at Carnegie Hall. Hundreds of Holocaust survivors and liberators along with families of several rescuers were among those attending the ”Partners of Hope” Concert at Carnegie Hall, on February 5th as guests, making this one of the largest gatherings of its kind in recent years. Read the article
Tribute to Raoul Wallenberg. Nachas Health and Family Services reached out to the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation to organize a tribute in honor of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat missing since January 1945 after saving the lives of tens of thousands of Jews and other persecuted by the Nazism during World War II. Among their database of over six thousand Holocaust survivors, Nachas found that many of them had been rescued by Wallenberg. Read the article
Saviors on the Screen. JCC Manhattan and The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day by honoring men and women who risked their lives to save others through their annual film program ”Saviors on the Screen.” Hundreds of educators, students, and general public enjoyed the screening of three documentaries carefully selected for the occasion. Read the article
Congressional Human Rights Caucus on Wallenberg. The IRWF participated in the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus Special Briefing on Raoul Wallenberg. The briefing included a screening about Raoul Wallenberg from ”60 Minutes” and counted with the presence of Mrs. Annette Lantos, wife of Congressman Tom Lantos, who was rescued by Mr. Wallenberg. IRWF representative Kayla Kaufman spoke of Raoul Wallenberg and share the personal story of her own rescue.
Raoul Wallenberg’s Birthday. On August 4th, we commemorated Raoul Wallenberg’s 95th birthday through a variety of events that celebrate his legacy. Volunteers and staff of the Foundation visited the Wallenberg Monument Hope in front of the United Nations, where they laid flowers aside the monument. At Camp Young Judea in New Hampshire, children performed scenes from Raoul Wallenberg’s life. Some told the stories of survival of their own grandparents, many saved by anonymous rescuers. Wayne Goldstein of camp Young Judea concluded that ”if of all the Judaic program at the camp the one thing the children take with them is the notion that, like Wallenberg, they can make a difference and should not stay silent when faced with injustice, I am very happy.”
Children aged 8-10 at the Manhattan JCC Summer Camp were treated to a celebration during which they participated in a dramatization of Wallenberg’s life, decorated a banner declaring ”Happy Birthday Wallenberg”, designed and wrote about their own ideas of what a ‘hero’ might be.
The IRWF participated of the renowned Argentinean TV Show ”Lunch with Mirtha Legrand” on August 2nd, days before Wallenberg’s Birthday and the official Wallenberg Day, as proclaimed by the Legislative body of the City of Buenos Aires.
Tribute to the Saviors of the Holocaust at the Embassy of Austria. On Thursday June 14th, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and the Embassy of Austria in Argentina, presented the exhibit ”The Righteous of Austria,” which pays tribute to those who practiced values of solidarity and civic courage to assist to people who were persecuted by the Nazism during the Holocaust. Read the Article
IRWF Presentation at the Swedish Church in New York. ”This is our country’s hero and it is always moving to learn new things about him,” said a participant at the presentation of the IRWF at the Swedish Church for the Swedish community of New York. The event was organized in conjunction with the Swedish Women’s Educational Association. ”What happened to Wallenberg?” was the main question at the end of the night, to which, still, nobody has a definite answer. Several Swedish residents of New York who attended the event will volunteer at the IRWF.
Slideshow of Raoul Wallenberg Exhibit. The IRWF has heard nothing but rave reviews for the exhibit ”Raoul Wallenberg: One Man Can Make a Difference,” which opened on September 5th at the Sakharov Museum and Center in Moscow, Russia. The exhibit, which is property of the Jewish Museum of Sweden, ran at the Sakharov Museum until October 21st. Photographer Karl Gabor was on the scene for the opening. Click here to view a slide show of photos from the exhibit with Mr. Gabor’s commentary. Please be patient as the slide show takes several minutes to load.
Jewish American Heritage Month. In an official declaration, President George W. Bush proclaimed May 2007 as Jewish American Heritage Month, ”Throughout our history, Jewish Americans have contributed to the strength of our country and the preservation of our values. The talent and imagination of these citizens have helped our Nation prosper, and their efforts continue to remind us of America’s gift of religious freedom and the blessings of God’s steadfast love.”
Campaigns
100,000 Names for 100,000 Lives Saved by Wallenberg. The IRWF launched a world wide campaign to definitively discover Raoul Wallenberg’s final destiny. Fill the form below and your name will be registered with thousands of others who will gather 100,000 names for the 100,000 lives Wallenberg saved in Budapest during Second World War. Help us claim for the solution of this case. The IRWF will present the collected signatures before the President of Russia and the United Nations. /?en/news/100-000-names-100-000-lives.2018.htm
Wallenberg Day. The IRWF organized the annual campaign to ask U.S. Governors to proclaim October 5th as Raoul Wallenberg Day in their States. As a result, Governors of Iowa, Nebraska, and Michigan proclaimed a 2007 Wallenberg Day. In previous years, Governors of Minnesota, West Virginia, New Jersey, Nevada, Illinois, Maine, Connecticut, and Maryland followed our request.
Documenting Wallenberg: An Archive of Testimonials. The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation started with the project of documenting the stories of Holocaust Survivors that met or were rescued by Raoul Wallenberg. The goal of ”Documenting Wallenberg: An Archive of Testimonials” is to reach as many people as possible who can help in document Wallenberg’s righteous deeds in order to create an open archive, easily accessible from our website. The interviews were conducted by volunteers in the United States, Israel, Argentina, Germany, Peru, and Sweden, among other countries. The Nachas Health and Family Network in Brooklyn helped us in organizing some of the interviews.
Educational Initiatives
Workshop for Teachers Brought Wallenberg’s Values to the Classroom. The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation organized a workshop and presentation of its educational program ”One Person Can Make A Difference: Basic Values of a Democracy” for New York Region 3 Social Studies teachers on March 16th at Junior High School 185.
Holocaust Day Between Students and Survivors. Kayla Kaufman, who was saved by Raoul Wallenberg when she was only a young girl, shared an evening with students and staff of Hofstra University as part of Hillel’s Holocaust Commemoration Program. Read the article
Raoul Wallenberg Day in the Educational Agenda of the City of Buenos Aires. On Thursday, April 19th the Legislative body of the City of Buenos Aires passed Act 2.307 through which it was ordered that a Raoul Wallenberg Day (August 4, date of birth) be included in the educational agenda of the city. This was also ordered by Act 2.088 of September 14, 2006. The project was proposed by deputy Jorge Enriquez and voted by all present deputies except for deputy Noemí Oliveto who voted against its inclusion.
Raoul Wallenberg School Turns 25. New York Public School 194 celebrated the 25th anniversary of its naming as ”The Raoul Wallenberg School” with a hour long chorus performance on May 16th. Hundreds of students, parents, alumni and educators were present at the moving ceremony. Ms. Lynch, principal of the Raoul Wallenberg School, highlighted the Swedish diplomat’s values and humanitarianism as concepts worth passing upon a young generation of students. Read the article
A High School Teacher Guides Students to a New Way of Social Giving Back. Jasmina Thomson, an English teacher at New Milford High School in Connecticut, took an innovative teaching method to challenge her students’ critical thinking, research skills, and sense of justice. Read the article
Ben Olander in New York. ”If you see a kid being bullied, say something. Evil thrives on the passivity of others” said Swedish Baladeer Ben Olander at his performance in New York City at the Swedish Church and at the SAR Academy in Riverdale. ”You have really inspired us with the story of Raoul Wallenberg!” said one of the students.
Awards
The Raoul Wallenberg Award was Presented in Tel Aviv to Ms. Rachel Bernheim. The Swedish Ambassador to Israel, Mr. Robert Rydberg, hosted the ceremony that took place at the Swedish Embassy in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, June 6. Also present were the Argentinean Ambassador to Israel, Dr. Atilio Molteni, Mr. Shmuel Leillen of the Hispanic Friends of Tel Aviv University, members of Ms. Bernheim’s family, and members of the IRWF, headed by Mr. Danny Rainer, of the Executive Board. Read the Article
