Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg was one of the many brave people that risked their lives to rescue Jews during World War II. The Guinness Book of World Records cites him as single-handedly rescuing more people from extinction than any other individual. Raoul came from one of the most wealthy and famous families in Sweden. He could have lived out his adult life as a comfortable man in his safe and neutral home country of Sweden. Instead, he bravely went to Hungary to defy the Nazis and their Hungarian allies. He may have gone on to live the life he was born to after the war. However, he disappeared some months before the war ended.
In March of 1944, Germany invaded Hungary, which was home to some 700,000 Jews. U.S.A.’s newly formed War Refugee Board and officials in Sweden met to discuss ways to help these individuals. It was decided that someone who could effectively run an operation to save as many Hungarian Jews as possible needed to be sent to Hungary. Raoul Wallenberg’s business partner, Koloman Lauer, suggested Raoul. Wallenberg was fluent in Russian, well educated and sympathetic to the cause. Furthermore, he had traveled in Germany and France during the conflict. He was familiar with the issues and the enemy. After some debate, he was chosen to go to Hungary.
By the time Raoul made it to Hungary in July, more than half of the country’s Jews had already been taken by the Nazis. The destination for the bulk of them was Auschwitz. Raoul was morally compelled to save as many of those left as he could. He used methods that brought him beyond what was expected of him. Funded by the U.S. and protected by his name and his homeland’s neutrality, Raoul began demanding, threatening and outright breaking the rules. He arranged to have a large number of “protection passes” made for Jews to save them from ‘deportation.’ He arranged for thousands of Jewish safe houses in Hungary that were protected by the flag of Sweden and Raoul’s perseverance. He obtained and distributed food, medicine and shelter. He threatened Nazis and their allies in order to save Jews from certain death. In other words, he did everything in his power to save innocent lives.
On January 13, 1945 (after the Soviets had taken over Hungary), Raoul Wallenberg met with some Soviet soldiers and told them that he needed to go to the Soviet headquarters in Budapest. He was seen leaving for Budapest in the company of a group of Russians on January 17. He told Dr. Erno Peto that he was not sure if he was a prisoner or not. After taking leave of his friends in the area, Raoul Wallenberg was never seen by any of them again.
When Raoul did not come home as he had planned, his family became worried and began making inquiries into his whereabouts. On March 8, 1945, the Soviets released a statement on the radio saying that Raoul had been killed by either Nazis or their Hungarian allies while he was on his way to the Soviet headquarters. This is one possibility regarding the fate of Raoul Wallenberg. However, the Soviets later changed this story and testimonies showed that it was false.
In 1957, Soviet officials stated that Raoul Wallenberg had been arrested and taken to Lubjanka prison. They went on to say that he died in his cell, of natural causes, on July 17, 1947. This statement is partially corroborated by people who saw him in the prison. However, some eyewitnesses in prison claim that Raoul was alive in prison at or near the time this statement was given. Whether this is true or not was never ascertained. It is almost certain by now that Raoul has died. It would seem that the reward for his bravery and selflessness was either a swift death or a prolonged imprisonment followed by death.
Sources
Metzler, David, Raoul Wallenberg, retrieved 5/1/10, jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/wallenberg.html
Bernheim, Rachel Oestreicher, A Hero For Our Time, retrieved 5/2/10, raoulwallenberg.org/raoulwallenberg_aheroforourtime.htm
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