PM praises heroic Wallenberg
AUSTRALIA’S top politicians have feted Righteous Among the Nations Raoul Wallenberg on the centenary of his birth.
AUSTRALIA’S top politicians have feted Righteous Among the Nations Raoul Wallenberg on the centenary of his birth.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the Swedish diplomat as “one of the most heroic and courageous individuals of the 20th century”, while Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Governor-General Quentin Bryce also paid their respects.
Conveying their sentiments to the Raoul Wallenberg Unit of B’nai B’rith, the leaders honoured the memory of the man credited with saving the lives of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust.
“Raoul Wallenberg single-handedly used his position and authority as a Swedish diplomat in Nazi-occupied Hungary to save, in just a six-month period, 100,000 Jews from murder at the hands of the Nazis. On one night alone, by defying the orders issued by the infamous Adolf Eichmann, Mr Wallenberg saved 70,000 lives,” Gillard said.
“Such acts of selfless and tireless devotion to human life never cease to expand the boundaries of human moral courage, and they pose the question whether each of us would also have, under such horrific circumstances, that same determination to act, in the face of such evil, when so few did.”
Abbott explained that while the world watched on, Wallenberg “chose to do everything he possibly could to protect the potential victims of the Holocaust”.
“As a Swedish diplomat working for the US War Refugee Board, he saved the lives of 100,000 Jewish people in Hungary during the Second World War by issuing certificates of protection and other documents and creating safe houses. He also established hospitals and a soup kitchen for people whom the Nazis were trying to exterminate.”
Bryce described Wallenberg as being motivated by a respect for universal human rights.
“Raoul Wallenberg dared to help men, women and children escape from the darkness of Nazi intent. His own fate after arrest by Russian troops in January 1945 remains unknown, but his legacy endures in the hearts and minds of survivors and families around the world, including Australia.”
B’nai B’rith Australia/New Zealand president James Altman and Jan Anger, son of Per Anger who worked alongside Wallenberg, addressed a packed house at Kimberley Gardens in Melbourne last week for the organisation’s Raoul Wallenberg Centenary Dinner organised by the Raoul Wallenberg Unit.
Altman spoke of the importance of solving the mystery of Wallenberg’s death, while Anger reflected on his heroic qualities.
Meanwhile, in Russia, a $500,000 reward is being offered for information on the final days of Wallenberg’s life. The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, which had previously offered a $100,000 reward, announced it would increase the amount thanks to anonymous donors, who contributed more funds. Soviet forces arrested Wallenberg on January 17, 1945. His ultimate fate is still unknown.
ADAM KAMIEN
Raoul Wallenberg.
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