Honoring Raoul Wallenberg on his 100th Anniversary

This is David Herman speaking at AACI in Jerusalem on Monday, August 6th at Wallenberg's 100th Anniversary.

This is David Herman singing some of the songs he wrote about Raoul Wallenberg.

On August 6 a special event was held at the AACI Glassman Center in honor of Raoul Wallenberg and his fellow Holocaust rescuers on the 100th anniversary of his birth (August 4, 1912). The inspiring and well-attended event included memorable and moving speeches by former Soviet Refusenik and Prisoner of Conscience, Yosef Mendelevich, Attorney Amos Hausner, the son of Gideon Hausner, Prosecutor at the Eichmann trial, celebrated poetess Adelina Klein, Wallenberg activist Eli Yosef, Holocaust survivor and founder of Bet El and Arutz Sheva, David Hollander, and songs about Wallenberg and the Jewish and non-Jewish rescuers by Jerusalem singer-song writer Ben Reuven. A special message for the event from Louise von Dardel, the niece of Raoul Wallenberg, about her uncle's inspiring legacy, was read out. In the audience were several people whose relatives had worked with Wallenberg to save Jews. A candle was lit in memory of Raoul and the other rescuers who together saved over 150,000 Jews in Budapest and other parts of Nazi-occupied Europe. A CD with all Ben Reuven's songs about Wallenberg and the Rescuers, entitled Beacons in the Dark, was also available. The evening also included powerful pleas for the release of Jonathan Pollard and for Anthony Nathan, a 73-year-old Israeli of Australian origin who has been languishing in a prison in Mauritius for the past five years despite all efforts to have him transferred to Israel. The special event was organized by David Herman in close cooperation with Rafi Poch at the AACI.

Louise von Dardel, the niece of Raoul Wallenberg, was not able to be with all of us that night so she sent a special message for David to share with us.

This is what she had to say to us:

When today, we look around us, we can see so many changes going on in all

directions. Changes are so big and so fast. We constantly hear about wars,

catastrophies of all kind, economic disasters and often it goes beyond our

imagination and understanding. Our minds have difficulties in finding solutions.

From history we can learn. We can learn from our errors, we can learn from

models. As time passes by, we have a better understanding of what went wrong and

what was the right thing to do. By learning, we can find ways of not repeating

mistakes.

Today, Raoul is here to remind us that by putting our mind in service of our spirit

and heart, we can go from a logic of survival and death to a logic of dignity and life.

He also proved that anyone of us, whatever age or position, can act with courage for

what we feel is good and right. Our family and country will then be proud of us.

If we now look back at the year 1944 in Budapest, contrary to most countries, life

was then relatively peaceful and Hungarian Jews were relatively safe. Most of them

could not believe that they soon would be mass murdered in their turn.

Things changed rapidly in March 1944 when German forces occupied Hungary.

Eichmann was sent to Budapest with the mission to kill as many Jews as possible.

Every day, 15,000 Jews were sent to extermination camps.

The Russian army was closing in on Budapest. The Hungarian people did not know

if they were going to be liberated by the Allies or “liberated” or occupied by the

Soviets. But for sure, they knew that it was going to be a hell for everybody.

Raoul chose to go into this hell in order to save as many Jews as possible.

The question is now, how was it possible to save tens of thousands people in that

extreme situation and in only six months. Especially for a young man of only 32,

with no experience at all for that kind of action?

What in the first place, made it possible, was an invisible chain of a few courageous

individuals who, through their courage, dedication and imaginative actions

prepared the way for my uncle’s mission.

They too, were individualists who acted by frequently breaking laws and

conventions in order to bring consciousness to the world about what was really

going on, and to make the free world act. By doing so, they risked their own lives

and careers, their reputation and the situation of their family.

There were the ones giving out the truthful information about the mass murder in

the camps, the ones publishing them so that the world would know, they were the

agitators creating the political will, the sponsors giving the necessary resources

and then also the governments giving the structure and papers.

Now, we would like to introduce you the the people that spoke at the event:

This is former Soviet Refusenik and Prisoner of Conscience, Yosef Mendelevich

This is Attorney Amos Hausner, the son of Gideon Hausner, Prosecutor at the Eichmann trial

This is celebrated poetess Adelina Klein

 

This is Wallenberg activist Eli Yosef

This is Holocaust survivor and founder of Bet El and Arutz Sheva, David Hollander

There are a few other things to mention and show you before we end this event.

These are two books about Wallenberg and a memorial candle lit for him  in memory of his 100th anniversary and CD that are on sale now.

 This is David standing next to the portrait of Wallenberg.

This is the picture of Wallenberg that his niece sent to David

 Before we end the program I would like to let you know that you can order the Beacons in the Dark CD from David. You can contact him at: 02-6536764.

Good night and thank you all so much for being a part of this event.