The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation to Seek Help From the Holocaust Survivors
New York City, NY. – The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) invites Holocaust Survivors who know, met or were saved by Raoul Wallenberg into its new major project, Documenting Wallenberg-An Archive of Testimonials. Relatives of those Survivors, who are familiar with Wallenberg’s rescue story, are also welcomed to the project.
Raoul Gustav Wallenberg, who stars one of the most remarkable episodes of World War 2, was a Swedish diplomat sent to Hungary in June 1944. During just a six-month stay Budapest, he rescued more than 100,000 Jews by issuing special Swedish passports called Schutz-pass. He was never seen again in the free world after January 1945, when the Soviets, who had just entered Budapest, abducted and imprisoned Wallenberg.
IRWF’s new project, Documenting Wallenberg-An Archive of Testimonials, will gather as many as possible written and spoken testimonials of who experienced and remember the courageous deeds of Raoul Wallenberg. In accordance with the Foundations mission, to develop educational programs and campaigns based on the solidarity, civic courage and ethical cornerstones of the Holocaust Saviors, the project aims to help young publics inherit the humanity and morality of the Saviors like Wallenberg.
The project, however, still is in a great and urgent need of new interviewees, who are willing to go on to camera and tell their stories. ”The scarcity of eyewitnesses makes the process slow and difficult.” Daniela Bajar, Director of Programs and Special Projects at IRWF, voices up her concerns. ”A concerted effort must be made to document the testimonies of Survivors,”
Each year, IRWF receives countless requests from local schools and community groups for educational materials about Raoul Wallenberg and other Holocaust Saviors. As the project secures sufficient amount of lively stories, educating the values of Holocaust Saviors to younger generations will be much easier and more appealing work, the Foundation hopes.
”This is not just storing up the stories of horrible times,” says Ms. Bajar. ”It’s a matter of learning from the past mistakes, transmitting the spirits of humanitarianism and hoping such atrocities would never happen again.”
The participation can be made by contacting the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation at 212-737-3275 or irwf@irwf.org. For more information, visit the Foundation’s website at www.irwf.org.
