Representing the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and its founder, Baruch Tenenbaum, Eduardo Eurnekian, chairman of this educational NGO, lit a memorial candle for the millions of Jews killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust (1933-1945).

The event was attended by President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Ricardo Lorenzetti, who said: “The Holocaust was a process, not a single act. It was a path transited by hatred and fanatism. Thus, the perpetrators should be judged by both History and Justice. It is such fanaticism and discrimination that led to blindness, madness and tragedy. But this very past that led to the Shoah, was transited by hatred. Such hatred divides people, establishing a kind of systematic blindness. Indifference went through that same path.  The indifference of a whole people and of a whole humanity, one that led to the thought of considering that these small acts of discrimination had no importance, they had no significance because they happened to others. “It is not my case; it will not affect me or is of a sector that is alien to me.” That indifference should not have happened. ”

For its part, Israel’s Ambassador Daniel Gazit, made a heartfelt evocation of the Righteous among the Nations, with particular emphasis on the figure of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg. Mr. Gazit referred to the heroism shown by the Righteous and said: “It is a difficult subject to explain what heroism is and what it means today. We wonder what would have done in those circumstances when all was dark and nobody knew what to do. Deciding to risk one’s life, to fight against the current, against the crowds. Each one of us could have that courage, that heroism.

When our sages define heroism they ask: “Who is a hero?” And they answer: “He who rules his instinct, his deep desire.”

I want to open this letter by inviting you all to watch the short film “Porcelain Unicorn”, which, we believe, illustrates Raoul Wallenberg’s values of humanity and solidarity in a degree that words cannot achieve. In only three minutes, filmmaker Keegan Wilcox managed to remind us why we should continue to dedicate our lives to shed light onto the inspiring stories hidden behind the tragedy of the Holocaust and other genocides.

We reach the end of 2011 with a great sense of pride for having done our part as an institution, but most of all for having found contemporary examples among regular people like you. A catholic nanny, Sandra Samuel, risked her own life to save that of a Jewish child, Moshe Holtzberg, during the terrorist attack perpetrated against Chabad House in Mumbai, in 2008. We were honored to pay tribute to Sandra and look forward to continue recognizing contemporary heroes in the future.

Education has been one of our main devices since 2003. In 2011 we achieved a new height in terms of the quality and reach of our “Raoul Wallenberg at School Program,” which has been presented in high schools and universities in Argentina, Israel, and the United States.

Preservation has also become an importance instrument in recent years. The collection of oral history interviews with Wallenberg Survivors we have been documented and finally published in 2011 has been greatly recognized by the community and utilized by students and educators across the nation. This public appreciation and the many requests for materials have inspired us to digitalize the Foundation’s entire archive. Such a task does not only include photos and newspaper articles, but also letters by heads of states, important dignitaries, and inspiring figures.

Research has produced some of the most satisfactory accomplishments of the foundation as we succeed in bringing to light the stories of unknown rescuers such as Paul and Helene (Leni) Pissarius, who provided shelter to a Jewish family for 27 months during WWII. The couple has been honored with the Righteous Among the Nations award thanks to the IRWF’s relentless investigations.

Finally, I would like to welcome Eduardo Eurnekian, a notable entrepreneur and philanthropist of Argentine-Armenian descent as the new President of the IRWF. It is with his collaboration that we have been working towards recognizing Armenians who rescued Jews during the Holocaust and Turks who rescued Armenians during the 1915 Genocide. We hope that, by acknowledging the heroic deeds of rescuers during the Armenian Genocide we can help build a path towards reconciliation between the Turkish and the Armenian people.

As always, these daunting tasks have only been possible thanks to your contributions, which we received with gratitude and admiration.

Warm Regards,

Baruch Tenembaum
Founder
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation

At this event, there will be a presentation of the 2012 Raoul Wallenberg Award scholarships, which have been donated by the Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish Friends of Tel Aviv University. The two recipients have impeccable academic careers: Orna Keren-Carmel, graduated Magna Cum Laude in General History from the University of Tel Aviv and is currently pursuing a doctorate in the Department of Jewish Studies at the University of Tel Aviv; Yehonatan Alsheh, graduated Summa Cum Laude for his master’s degree in History at the University of Tel Aviv and is currently a doctoral candidate in the same subject.

The event will be moderated by Prof. Dina Porat, of Tel Aviv University and will be honored with the presence of the Ambassador of Sweden, Da. Elinor Hammarskjold. Admission is free. On behalf of the Wallenberg Foundation, Eli Yosef will give a talk on the life and work of the mythical hero with the title: When Passion becomes Compassion.

The mission of the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is to develop educational and outreach projects that promote solidarity and civic courage, the ethical cornerstones that inspired the deeds of the Saviors of the Holocaust. In Israel, the Foundation has developed the educational program Wallenberg in our School to offer lectures in schools about the rescue of Jews by the Swedish diplomat. As part of the education program, a play titled Heart of Stone, Heart of Flesh written by Eli Yosef, will soon premiere in Kiryat Gat. Students from the city high school will perform the play, which recounts the courageous attitude of the Swedish hero and his tragic fate.

The Wallenberg Foundation has offices in New York, Jerusalem, Buenos Aires and Berlin.

For details, contact the Wallenberg Foundation: irwf@irwf.org.il or tel: 02 6257996. – Www.raoulwallenberg.net

Translation: John Casey

FRIDAY 27 January 2012: Holocaust Memorial Ceremony, UN General Assembly Hall, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

The solemn memorial ceremony under the theme “Children and the Holocaust” will include a video message by the UN Secretary-General, and statements by the President of the General Assembly, the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations and the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations. The UN Holocaust Programme’s new study guide for children will be also featured. Keynote remarks will be made by Professor Robert Krell (Canada), a child survivor and psychiatrist. Students from the Bronx, Harlem and Washington Heights will perform songs from the musical theatre production “Sosua: Dare to Dance Together” which is based on the true story of the emigration of Jewish refugees to the Dominican Republic.

To register, please RSVP to holocaustremembrance@un.org by 20 January 2012

Following the speeches, the Raoul Wallenberg Awards were presented by Edit Rauh, Chairperson of the Raoul Wallenberg Award Committee, to Geza Orian, protestant social worker; to Dr. Bela Csillei, director of a secondary school; and to the Jewish monthly “Budai Sofar”.

Orian and Csillei have been working among Gypsy (Roma) teenagers for decades as social worker and teacher, respectively. The Jewish journal “Budai Sofar” was founded ten years ago and is published by one of the most prosperous Jewish community of Budapest. On behalf of the journal, the award was received by its editor, Viktoria Sarosi.

At the same event, winners of the Holocaust-competition for secondary school students organized by the Raoul Wallenberg Association, the Holocaust Memorial Center and the Budapest Institute of Pedagogy, were rewarded.

Following the ceremony, the participants visited the the Wallenberg memorial plaque in the Wallenberg Street, where Dr. Jozsef  Sebes, Chairman of the Hungarian RWA, delivered a short speech and read the letters written by Dr. Ferenc Madl and Dr. Laszlo Solyom, former Presidents of Hungary. The ceremony was attended by Ambassadors Cecilia Bjorner (Sweden), Aliza Bin-Noun (Israel), António Augusto Jorge Mendes(Portugal), Mayor Jozsef Toth and Tibor Szanyi, MPs of the 13th district of Budapest, among many others.

Along with Diana Liniado and Paula Ini, volunteers of the program ”Wallenberg at School”, Mrs Klarsfeld enthusiastically addressed educational issues. Mr. Gustavo Jalife, executive director of the foundation, also participated in the meeting. Mrs. Klarsfeld showed a high interest in the existence, in her hometown of Berlin, of a replica of the Holocaust Memorial Mural, whose original is placed inside the Buenos Aires’ Cathedral. The replica was inaugurated in 2004 at the Vaterunser Church led by Pastor Annemarie Werner.

Beate Auguste Künzel Klarsfeld is famous in ”hunting” Nazis war criminals. With her husband, Serge Klarsfeld, she has also denounced major Nazi political activism and European officials.

Mrs. Klarsfeld is the daughter of a Christian, German-born, regular Wehrmacht soldier. She lived in Germany during the Second World War. At the age of 21 she traveled to Paris to study and work. In 1963 she met Serge Klarsfeld whom through she joined the French intellectual milieu and became interested in the fate of the Jews during the Holocaust.

Serge Klarsfeld was born in Bucharest, Romania. He is a writer, historian and lawyer. His family moved to France at the beginning of the Second World War. In 1943, his father was arrested by the SS in a massive raid in the city of Nice, being deported to Auschwitz concentration camp, where he was murdered. Serge, with his mother and sister survived the war. He obtained a degree in advanced studies in history at the Sorbonne and in political science at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris.

We call this day ”The Day of Conscience.”

This year, which also marks the 125th anniversary of Sousa Mendes’ birth, special Thanksgiving Masses and Services in Synagogues will be held around the world -from Rome to Newark, Sao Paolo, Paris, Bordeaux, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, and many more- following the initiative of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) and the Angelo Roncalli Committee.

”History seems to reward tyrants and evildoers by exploiting human imagination with their memory, with pernicious results, especially for young minds. This has to be countered and addressed with positive `reminders´,” said Joao Crisostomo, Vice President of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation. ”One of them is to recognize and honor people who distinguished themselves by dedicating their lives to the good of other people, especially when that translates into saving other peoples’ lives.”

While paying tribute to the man who stated that he ”would rather be with God against men than with men against God,” these services not only speak about Sousa Mendes, but also focus on all the others diplomat rescuers -such us Raoul Wallenberg, Luis Martins de Souza Dantas, Carl Lutz and many others- whose actions saved the lives of ten of thousand persecuted by Nazism. Because only a few of these diplomats are well known -and even those ones are seldom remembered- this is meant as a ”Thanksgiving and Recognition Day” of all diplomat rescuers of WWII.

Services initiated by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and the Angelo Roncalli Committee:

Masses will be held in Rome, Italy, by Cardenal Renato Martino, Cardinal William Levada, and Cardinal Claudio Hummes; in Paris, France, by Cardinal Vingt-Trois; in Bordeaux, France, by Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard; in Montreal, Canada, by Mons. André Desroches, C.S.S; in Newark, US, by Bishop Edgar Moreira da Cunha. Masses will also be held in Lisbon, Portugal; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Salvador de Bahia and Fortaleze in Brazil, and San Francisco, USA.

Synagogue services will be held in Paris, France, by Grand Rabbin René-Samuel Sirat; in Sao Paulo, Brazil, by Rabbi Michel Schlesinger; en Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by Rabbi Dario Bialer.

In Argentina, on 17 June, Monsignor Oscar Sarlinga, Bishop of Zárate-Campana, will comment on Sousa Mendes’ personality and feats in three radio programs.

On 18 June, in Buenos Aires, Rabbi Simón Moguilevsky will pay tribute to Aristides de Sousa Mendes during the ceremony of the Kabbalat Shabbat, traditional Minyan, at the Synagogue of the ”Congregación Israelita de la República Argentina”. Furthermore, the Portuguese savior will be remembered on 19 June by Rabbi Felipe Yafe at the ”Comunidad Beth Ilel” temple.

”The response has been overwhelming,” said Baruch Tenembaum, Founder of the IRWF and the Angelo Roncalli International Committe, ”We are still receiving positive replies every day, many of them of inter-religious and ecumenical character. It’s about time the world united in remembering the diplomat heroes of WWII.”

After a successful show artist Peter Bulow will host a closing reception for ”Blessings May Break from Stone” at the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation Cultural Space on Friday, Jun 4, 2010, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

”Blessings May Break from Stone” showcases the artwork of Peter Bulow, whose Jewish mother was a hidden child in Budapest and whose father survived the bombings of Berlin. Through the media of puppetry and sculpture, Bulow explores the themes of hunger, suffering, and survival that pervade his family’s stories of the Holocaust.

To read more about the exhibit and see photos of Bulow’s works, please click here.

Contact: 1-212-737-3275
svetlana@irwf.org

New York, NY (April 30, 2010)— The steady stream of visitors at the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation’s ”Blessings May Break from Stone” art exhibit has prompted the IRWF to extend the exhibit’s run for two additional weeks. Originally scheduled to close on April 30, the exhibit will now run through May 14.

”Blessings May Break from Stone” showcases the artwork of Peter Bulow, whose Jewish mother was a hidden child in Budapest and whose father survived the bombings of Berlin. Through the media of puppetry and sculpture, Bulow explores the themes of hunger, suffering, and survival that pervade his family’s stories of the Holocaust.

To read more about the exhibit and see photos of Bulow’s works, please click here.

The exhibit is on view through May 14, 2010
Mon-Fri, 9am – 4pm, by appointment only
212.737.3275

By mid 1942, the Nazis intensified their persecution of the Jewish population in Belgium, beginning an era of massive deportations.

Zenon’s mother began looking for a safe place to hide her little son. This proved extremely difficult, as the Nazis applied harsh consequences against any gentiles who were caught hiding Jews. Eventually, she managed to find a family that was willing to take the risk of hiding Zenon. While this family originally agreed to do so without accepting any form of compensation, she managed to persuade the couple to accept one egg per day, to feed little Zenon.

The courageous couple who took-up Zenon were Louise and Jospeh Materne. Joseph was working at the Belgian railways, and the family was living in a modest quarter of Brussels. They had no children of their own, but since they were fervent anti-Fascists, they had also given shelter to a Spanish boy named Juanito, whose parents were victims of the Spanish Civil War.

The Maternes put only one precondition to accepting Zenon: they had to get the consent of Juanito, who at that time was roughly 7 years old. Juanito approved, and by so doing, he saved Zenon’s life.

Zenon lived quite peacefully with the Materne’s and Juanito until the liberation of Belgium in 1944. Zenon’s mother, went into hiding in a nearby location.

In 1949, Zenon and his mother emigrated to Israel, where Zenon changed his name to Zalman Shiffer. Eventually, Zenon (now known as Zalman,) became a prominent economist and is known today as Dr. Zalman Shiffer.

During their first few years in Israel, Zalman and his mother corresponded with the Maternes. Eventually, however, the two families lost contact. When Zenon returned to Brussels in 1965, he was unable to trace neither the Maternes nor Juanito – who had been like a brother to Zalman.

All of his attempts to reestablish contact with his rescuers and Juanito, were fruitless.

In October 2009, Dr. Zalman Shiffer was interviewed by the famous journalist and TV reporter Henrique Cymerman, of La Vanguardia and Antenna 3. In this interview, Zalman made a public appeal to trace his beloved Juanito.

The IRWF was informed about this case and immediately mobilized volunteers in several countries, in search for Juanito.

Eventually, this worldwide campaign succeeded. Unfortunately, Juan Manrubia Sanchez (Juanito) had passed away in 2003. He was adopted by Louise and Joseph Materne, and became Juan Materne. Materne remained in Belgium, and married there. His three surviving children, Daniel, Patricia and Jean-Claude are back in touch with their ”uncle” Zenon.

This important mission was accomplished, but for the IRWF, the work is far from over.

Our team of researchers and volunteers are now collecting evidence to build-up a file that will be conveyed to Yad Vashem, with the recommendation to posthumously declare Louise and Joseph Materne, Righteous among the Nations.

Concurrently, the IRWF is investigating the circumstances of the rescue of Dr. Shiffer’s mother, who passed away a few years ago at the age of 101. Based on preliminary reports, she too was helped by two brave families during WWII.

Louise, Joseph and Juanito are no longer with us, but thanks to the passionate work of the IRWF’s volunteers, their stories will reverberate forever, and their descendents will have the opportunity to share their memories with Zenon.

DR. SHIFFER’S ORIGINAL APPEAL OF OCTOBER 2009

HELP ME FIND JUAN

I am looking for a Spanish-born man by the name of Juan, with whom I was hidden as a child in Belgium during World War II.

I was born as Zenon Fajertag in Brussels, Belgium, in May 1940 during the Nazi occupation of that country. In 1941 my father died from a sickness and my mother was left alone with me.

By mid 1942, as the Nazi repercussions against the Jews in Belgium intensified and deportations started, my mother began looking for a place to hide me, so that I may hopefully be able to survive. This was very difficult, since the hiding of Jews was punishable by death penalty. Finally, she found a family that was willing to take the risk of hiding me.

The courageous people who took care of me were Joseph and Louise Materne. Joseph was working in the Belgian railways and the family was living in the Forest quarter (Commune) of Brussels. As far as I know they had no children of their own.

As highly motivated anti-Fascists, they were not only active in the Resistance, but they had also given shelter to a Spanish boy- a refugee from the Spanish civil war.

This Spanish boy was called Juanito, a diminutive name for Juan. He was probably about six to seven years old in 1942, implying that he was born around 1935-6. His parents had fought for the Republicans during the Spanish war and his father was put in jail by the Franco regime. Since the Spanish war has ended by 1939 and some 200,000 Republican refugees fled over the French border in the last stages of that war, I assume that this was about the time that little Juan had been taken by the Belgian Materne family.

I stayed at the Maternes with Juanito, who was like a brother to me, from 1942 to 1944. As far as I have been able to find out their address was 132 rue de Paepsem (or Paapsemlaan; it could also be Paepsen). I remember that it was in the Commune of Forest, but have found in some map that it is in Anderlecht.

At the beginning of 1944 we all moved to a small village called Folx-les-Caves to avoid the heavy Allies bombing of Brussels; my mother, who had been hiding elsewhere in Brussels also joined us there. It was in this village that we were liberated by the British Army sometime between August and October 1944.

As WWII ended I returned with my mother to Brussels. We used to meet the Maternes and Juanito, who continued to live with them, quite often; we also spent some vacation with them at the beach.

In 1949 my mother and I immigrated to Israel where I changed my name from Zenon Fajertag to Zalman Shiffer. We corresponded with the Maternes for a while, but the correspondence faded away gradually. When I came back for a first visit to Belgium in 1965, my Belgian relatives told me that they had lost contact with the Maternes and thatb they may have passed away (I recently found out that this was wrong and that the Maternes have moved out of Brussels in 1955 and lived in their small family village until the late 1970s). My relatives may also have told me that Juan had moved back to his family in Spain, but I am not sure about it.

Many years have passed since then. I have often remembered with love the Maternes and Juan, but somehow assumed that there was no way to locate him since I had no idea where he could be and did not even know what his family name was.

With the worldwide improved access to information, I feel now that I may have a better chance of finding Juan. It is very important to me to learn what happened to him during all those years and to meet him again. I believe that the time he spent with me at the Maternes was very meaningful to him also and hope that he will want to meet me again.

I am enclosing a few pictures which may be of some help. The first two pictures show me and Juanito, one at the beach after the war, and one in front of the Materne house during the war. The third picture shows the two of us again with Louise Materne and the fourth one is a photograph of Joseph Materne and me. Finally, the fifth picture was also taken in front of the Materne house: my mother is on the left, the Maternes on the right and my aunt and uncle with me at the middle.

I would appreciate very much any help that you can extend to me to find Juan.

Dr. Zalman ShifferÇ
(formerly Zenon Fajertag)

DR. SHIFFER’S INTERVIEW ON ANTENA 3

”Chadashot Hashabat” – conducted by Oshrat Kotler, News in depth program, Channel 10 (Israel) – July 17th., 2010

”Al Haboker” – morning news program, Channel 10 (Israel), July 18th., 2010.