With this month marking the 72nd anniversary of the disappearance of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War Two, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., wants answers to what happened to him.
Ros-Lehtinen, the chairwoman of the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, teamed up with U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-NY, to introduce a resolution urging the U.S. government pressure Russia on information regarding Wallenberg’s disappearance.
In the later half of 1944, Wallenberg, then serving as a Swedish envoy in Budapest, issued thousands of Swedish passports for Hungarian Jews and sheltered them in buildings classified as Swedish territory. Captured by the Soviets when they took Budapest in January 1945, Wallenberg was reported to have been executed by the Soviets in 1947. Recent Freedom of Information Act requests have shown Wallenberg was working with American intelligence.
After his disappearance, Wallenberg was honored by the United States and other Western nations. In 1981, U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress and who lived thanks to Wallenberg’s efforts, sponsored a bill making the Swedish diplomat a citizen of the United States which passed, making him the second honorary citizen in American history. He was also honored with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2012. Other nations--including Australia, Canada, Hungary and Israel--have declared Wallenberg an honorary citizen. Israel has named him one of the Righteous Among the Nations, the gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
Ros-Lehtinen explained why she brought out the resolution.
“For over 70 years, the mystery of what really happened to Raoul Wallenberg has haunted the memories of his loved ones, of the countless he saved from the horrors of the Holocaust, and of the many who have fought tirelessly to uncover the truth,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “We have honored his courage and his humanitarian spirit over the years, and now we have a chance to honor his memory by bringing closure to this tragedy. I want to personally thank Marie Dupuy and Louise von Dardel, nieces of Raoul Wallenberg, for their cooperation and support for this initiative and for continuing the tireless efforts of Raoul’s parents, Maj and Fredrik von Dardel. I also want to thank the many, many researchers and volunteers who have never stopped seeking the truth, particularly Dr. Vadim Birstein and Susanne Berger. It is my most sincere hope that this resolution will help finally resolve one of the most tragic mysteries of the 20th century by bringing it the attention it deserves.”
“Raoul Wallenberg was one of the world’s unsung heroes during the darkest chapter in human history, and we must continue to demand answers regarding his tragic disappearance and death,” Lowey said. “It’s the least we can do for a man who risked everything to save tens of thousands of Jews from the Nazis, including our late colleague Congressman Tom Lantos. Part of Tom’s legacy instructs each of us to never rest in the pursuit of justice. That is why Congress must continue to press Russia to resolve the outstanding questions regarding Raoul Wallenberg’s fate and finally bring closure to the family and loved ones of this truly remarkable man.”
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee which Ros-Lehtinen chairs, is co-sponsoring the resolution. Other co-sponsors include U.S. Reps. Eliot Engel, D-NY, Kay Granger, R-Tex., Pete Roskam, R-Ill., and Chris Smith, R-NJ.
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I first heard of Raoul