Raoul+Wallenberg

In 1944, during the Holocaust, millions of innocent lives were senselessly taken. Most people were afraid to do anything about it, but there were some people who were not. One of these people was Raoul Wallenberg, who saved tens of thousands of innocent lives. Raoul Wallenberg is a hero, and he did this not for himself, but for the well-being of others. This paper will discuss his life, his heroic actions and the legacy that he left behind.

Raoul Wallenberg was born in Sweden in 1912.(Metzler,”Raoul Wallenberg”) He came from a very wealthy family. (Metzler,”Raoul Wallenberg”) In 1931, he came to the United States to study architecture at the University of Michigan. His grandfather, Gustav Wallenberg, paid for his education. In 1935 he moved to Palestine and it was there where he learned of the brutality that many Jewish people were enduring. He had met some Jewish people who escaped the Nazis, and their stories spoke to hi s heart. Raoul Wallenberg knew then that he wanted to help. He moved back to Sweden in 1936. He became the Co-Owner and international director of the Mid-European Trading Company.(Metzler,”Raoul Wallenberg”) His business partner, Koloman Lauer was a Hungarian Jew. (Metzler,”Raoul Wallenberg”) In this job he traveled quite a bit. In his travels he saw, first-hand, the true brutality of the Nazis.

One day in 1944, Raoul Wallenberg was offered a chance to help the Jewish people. The United States’ War Refugee Board offered him a job in Hungary to lead a rescue effort to save the Jewish people from the Nazis. (ushmm.org,“Raoul Wallenberg”) He designated certain houses as Swedish territory and used them as shelter for the Jewish people. (ushmm.org,“Raoul Wallenberg”) He also provided food, supplies and protective passports to Jewish people who needed them.(ushmm.org,“Raoul Wallenberg”) In 1945, he was arrested by the Russians and never seen again.

Raoul Wallenberg is remembered today as a world hero. He is the second person to ever receive honorary citizenship of the United States. (wallenberg.umich.edu “Wallenberg Legacy”) He is also an honorary citizen of Canada, Hungary and Israel. (wallenberg.umich.edu “Wallenberg Legacy”) In six months, he saved 100,000 lives.(wallenberg.umich.edu “Wallenberg Legacy”) There is an award named after him. The Raoul Wallenberg award is given to people whose selflessness, courage, and caring are similar to that of Raoul Wallenberg himself.

Thousands of innocent men women and children were being murdered every day and Raoul Wallenberg decided not to let that happen. He was a hero, and he did this not for his own personal gain, but for the sake of others. We must remember his life, his heroic actions and the legacy that he left behind.

(wallenberg.umich.edu “Wallenberg Legacy”) (Metzler,”Raoul Wallenberg”)

Bibliography

"Raoul Wallenberg - Wallenberg Legacy, University of Michigan."Wallenberg Legacy University of Michigan. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.

"Raoul Wallenberg and the Rescue of Jewish people in Budapest." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 20 June 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2014.

"The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of the United States - Home of the Raoul Wallenberg Award, A Study of Heroes, and STONES." The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of the United States - Home of the Raoul Wallenberg Award, A Study of Heroes, and STONES. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.

"Raoul Wallenberg." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.

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