The ceremony took place on August 4th, in Buenos Aires, next to the statue of the missing diplomat.
Raoul Wallenberg saved tens of thousands of people condemned to death by the Nazis. He was a role model of courage and altruism. Therefore, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation organized in Buenos Aires a ceremony in his honor to mark the 94th anniversary of his birth. The tribute took place next to the statue that commemorates the ”Hero without a Grave”, located on the corner of Figueroa Alcorta and Austria.
The Minister of Culture of Buenos Aires, Architect Silvia Fajre, was the main speaker. ”Memories are enough to distinguish and value Wallenberg’s work. His labor goes beyond frontiers, extending his influence to the four corners of the globe.”
Political, educational, and diplomatic representatives from governmental and Non-Governmental organizations attended the ceremony. Among them: Fredrik Folkinger, Officer of the Swedish Embassy; Rolf Schumacher, German Ambassador; Stanislaw Paszczyk, Polish Ambassador; José Antonio Ruiz, Spanish Embassy; Zoltan Bácz, Hungarian Embassy; Toty Flores, leader of the Movement of Unemployed Workers of La Matanza; Guillermo Nielsen, Minister of Finance; rabbis Simón Moguilevsky and Sergio Bergman; José Ignacio García Hamilton, historian and vice-president of the IRWF; Ricardo Faerman and Enrique Zanin; Patricia Bullrich, president of the association ”Unión Por Todos”; Jacobo Luterstain, in representation of DAIA; Yaacov Rubel, from the Center of Judaic Studies; Perla Graisman, IRWF Global Development Director; Norberto La Porta, Daniel Amoroso and Jorge Enriquez, Congressmen of the Buenos Aires City; Tomás Kertesz, saved by Wallenberg in 1944, along with other survivors of the Holocaust like Jack Fuchs, David Galante and Miriam Kesler.
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is also sponsoring in Argentina other projects destined to preserve the memory, the altruistic values and the courage of the missing Swedish diplomat. Some of undertakings are: Raoul Wallenberg’s Day in Buenos Aires; Raoul Wallenberg’s Day in Santa Fe and Mendoza provinces; Raoul Wallenberg’s Street in Buenos Aires City; Monument in honor of the Holocaust Saviors; Wallenberg in School Program; Solidary Youth Contest, a joined project with the Ministry of Culture of Buenos Aires.
Translation: Ileana Cheszes
