Tributes
Between the time of Wallenberg's
disappearance and the present, many tributes have been paid to the
Swedish humanitarian. Raoul Wallenberg Committees have been set up
all over the world, and hold candlelight vigils on January 17, the
anniversary of his disappearance.
Two members of the American Raoul
Wallenberg Committee wrote an official song for him entitled "Now Is
the Time: Ready to Free You." Numerous other parks, streets, schools,
university programs and endowments have been named in his honour.
Besides the endless number of politicians and committee members that
have worked tirelessly on his behalf appealing to the Soviet
government for his release, many famous persons have also spoken on
his behalf; these include: Jewish physicist, Albert Einstein;
actress, Elizabeth Taylor; and actor, John Voight. Political
intervention by President Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan has been
made on his behalf.
1948- A sculpture of Saint George fighting a serpent was erected in Wallenberg's honour in Budapest's
St. Stephen's Park,which is surrounded by former safe houses. The night before the unveiling, the statue was stolen by
the Soviets, but later recovered and installed in front of a
pharmaceutical company in Debrecen. The statue is to be symbolic of Wallenberg's fight
against the Nazis.
1949- Albert Einstein nominated Wallenberg for the Nobel
Peace Prize
1953- a tree was planted, for Wallenberg, on the "Avenue
of the Righteous" in Yad Vashem, Israel, after he was officially
named a Righteous Gentile.
1980- Wallenberg was honored "Man of the Year" by the
Judaic Heritage Society.
1981- Raoul Wallenberg was named as an honorary U.S.
citizen, the only person to receive that honor aside from Sir Winston
Churchill.
1985- Canada granted him honorary citizenship
1985- the U.S. Wallenberg committee set up a traveling
exhibit "A Tribute to Raoul Wallenberg" that has been shown
throughout the United States.
1986- Israel granted him citizenship.
1989- In Glen Cove, New York, a replica of the statue
originally erected in Budapest was installed on the anniversary of
his disappearance.
1997- The official United States Raoul Wallenberg Postage
Stamp was released, following the example of Israel.
1999-April 18, the statue of Saint George fighting a serpent was re-erected in St. Stephen's Park. Many gathered under a sea of umbrellas for the unveiling, on the rainy Sunday morning. Speakers included Holocaust survivor and poet, Gyorgy Somlyo who was saved by Wallenberg.
A number of books and movies are
also available about Wallenberg's life, work and fate:
Books:
With Raoul Wallenberg in
Budapest: memories of the war years in Hungary
Per Anger, New York: Holocaust Library, 1981
Righteous Gentile: the story of
Raoul Wallenberg, missing hero of the holocaust
John Bierman, New York:
Viking Press, 1981, 1995
Raoul Wallenberg: his
remarkable life, heroic battles and the secret of his mysterious
disappearance.
Jeno Levai, Melbourne:
WhiteAnt Occasional Publishing, 1988
Wallenberg
Kati Marton, New York:
Random House, 1982
Raoul Wallenberg
Harvey Rosenfeld, New
York: Holmes and Meier, 1982,1995
Lost Hero: the mystery of Raoul
Wallenberg
Frederick E. Werbell, New
York: McGraw-Hill, 1982
Movies/Documentaries:
Missing Hero: A television documentary by John
Beirman
Good Evening Mr.
Wallenberg:
Wallenberg: Between the
Lines
Wallenberg: A Hero's
Story: A television
miniseries by Gerald Green, 1985