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Raoul Wallenberg
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“His intervention gave hope to victims, encouraged them to fight and resist, to hang on and bear witness. It aroused our collective consciousness.
Remembering his life should be an inspiration to others to act; for our future generations to act; for all of us to act.”
“All suffer is boundless, which you have to try to mitigate.” This was how Raoul Wallenberg saw the situation when he arrived to Budapest Sunday the 9th of July 1944.
The Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg’s extraordinary rescue operation during World War II is well known all over the world. His efforts to save Hungarian Jews from the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust are indeed amazing and unique.
There are different estimates regarding the number of Jews Raoul Wallenberg saved in Hungary. Some credit him for saving 30 000 people. Others estimate the number of persons saved directly or indirectly by Wallenberg to be 100 000. No matter which number is correct, Raoul Wallenberg is one of the greatest heroes of World War II.
Tragically, Wallenberg did not return to Sweden. Early in the morning on January 17th, 1945 Raoul Wallenberg visited a Swedish hospital and said: “I am happy that my mission has not been in vain.” Shortly afterwards the entering Soviet troops captured him. The Soviet Union declared later that he died in 1947 of a heart attack. However, many witnesses have appeared since declaring that Raoul Wallenberg is alive, or lived – somewhere in a Russian prison or mental hospital long after 1947.
To find out more about Raoul Wallenberg www.raoulwallenberg.se