The ceremony was organized by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) and the Argentine General Economic Confederation (CGE), presided by Mr. Ricardo Faerman.

The IRWF was represented by its founder, Baruch Tenembaum, its Vice-President, Natalio Wengrower, the Board Members, Aldo Nasjleti, Jack Fuchs, Mariette Diamant, Malkiel Tenembaum, Szosia Klawir and the coordinators of the Wallenberg at School educational program (LINK), Gabriela Pauer and Rodrigo Rendo.

Silvina Rodríguez Barale, Principal of the School, Carlos Giardino of the CGE and Baruch Tenembaum unveiled an allusive plaque.

Natalio Wengrower pronounced the opening speech and praised the work carried out by Ministro Zarini School and by the Foundation in the field of education.

In turn, Laszlo Ladanyi, who was saved by Wallenberg in 1944, undertook a portrayal of the Swedish Diplomat who disappeared in 1944. However, emotion prevented him from continuing his speech.

This is the second kindergarten named after a Saviour of the Holocaust in Argentina. The first was also a kindergarten in the Raoul Wallenberg Center at ‘Barrio La Juanita’, a neighborhood in Gregorio de Laferrere, Province of Buenos Aires. This enterprise was undertaken by the Movement of Unemployed Workers of La Matanza. (LINK)

The IRWF promotes, with the support of Mrs. Nina Lagergren, sister of Raoul Wallenberg, the creation of schools all over the world that bear the name of ”The Hero Without a Grave”. Up to the present this has been done in Venezuela, Ecuador, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina.
Translation: María Lía Macchi

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Wallenberg was posted to Budapest during World War II, and is credited with saving the lives of tens of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust by issuing them false papers and documents. The Soviet Army later arrested him, and his fate remains unknown.

The Raoul Wallenberg School in Buenos Aires is the first educational center to be named after him in Argentina. Schools bearing Wallenberg’s name have already been established in Uruguay, Brazil, and Ecuador.

The initiative is sponsored by the General Economic Confederation (CGE); the NGO ”Poder Ciudadano”, the Movement of Unemployed People of La Matanza (MTD) and the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF).

The Raoul Wallenberg Educational Center is added to the list of similar initiatives of the IRWF in Venezuela, Uruguay and Ecuador.

Raoul Wallenberg is the Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of people from a certain death during the Holocaust. He disappeared after being kidnapped in 1945 by the Soviet Army. His deeds, based on values of solidarity and civic courage, are promoted in the world by the IRWF through educational projects.

The educational complex includes two kindergarten classes, and productive initiatives such as a bakery, a serigraphy workshop, a publishing house, a sewing workshop, and a school of professions are functioning ”We conceived this center as a firm step towards social reinsertion of unemployed workers and the exercise of the right to a worthy life for us and our children,” said Toti Flores, leader of the MTD, ”This Educational Center is now and forever called Raoul Wallenberg, for in the figure of this outstanding public official we have found the inspiration that leads us to respect human rights, starting with the right to work”.

The MTD has been working since the beginning of 2002 towards the opening of an educational project where the principle of ”permanent education” can be put into practice. The purpose is to exercise the right to a democratic education, including the participation of the community in the teaching – learning process, by promoting such values as self management, solidarity, cooperativism and the care for the environment.

The Educational Complex of the MTD has been working for almost two years in the premises once used by an old private school that was dismantled in different robberies.

Among the many people that attended the ceremony were Laszlo Ladanyi and Tomás Kertesz, both saved by Raoul Wallenberg in Budapest in 1944.

Ricardo Faerman, President of the CGE, Carlos March, Executive Director of Poder Ciudadano; José I. García Hamilton, Vice-President of the IRWF and Toti Flores, leader of the MTD, spoke in the ceremony.

Why did you change the name Sunrise to Raoul Wallenberg?
This is a way of paying my gratitude and that of my children Baruj and Dafna to Mr. Baruch Tenembaum who is the founder of The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation in New York. This is a private non-profit institution dedicated to encourage the inter-religious dialogue, inspired by the outstanding deeds of this man during World War II. It is important that we unite against all forms of discrimination or persecution, regardless of the moment, place or circumstances.

When was Sunrise created?
It was created in 1996 with the instruction of English as second language and for the last four years it has been functioning as a bi-lingual Preschool and School, where we treat English as our priority.

Is it true that you will move abroad?
I will travel as I have always done and I will head the institution, the parents can be confident.

Do you plan to build your own building?
Yes. There is a program for the year 2005 to start the classes in an adequate place, which includes sports fields, swimming pools and a laboratory for special classes. I consider that the edification of this educational center is one of the blessings that God has reserved for me.

What is your message to the parents?
I will always love to count with their support since an institution requires a lot of investment and dedication. We are personally committed to the education of the children, based on an excellent pedagogy, but it also includes the values that each human being should practice in addition to educating the children about God Almighty.

The idea of naming Raoul Wallenberg a Lyceum of the Uruguayan capital belongs to the congressman Dr. Nahum Bergstein and was voted unanimously by the Legislative Power, in National Assembly.

The ceremony counted with the presence of Bergstein as well as the General Director of Secondary Education Council, Jorge Carbonell; the Advisor of the Central Direction Council of the National Public Administration, Minister Sirio Nadruz; of the former President of Uruguay and the Honorary Member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, Dr. Luis Alberto Lacalle and Jean Pierre Bendahan, Vice-president of the IRWF.

Besides, the members of the accredited diplomatic corps, representatives of the Jewish community and the Association of Holocaust Survivors, teachers, students and parents were also present.

The Headmaster of the Lyceum 53, Ph. D. Isabel Jauregui, was in charge of the ceremony.

After the entry of the standard-bearers and the singing of the National Anthem performed by the School chorus, Dr. Nahum Bergstein started the ceremony and he described Raoul Wallenberg whom he defined as ”Hero without guns and without a grave”.

Next the General Director of Secondary Education, Jorge Carbonell spoke and closed the oratory Mr. Jean Pierre Bendahan, Vice-president of the IRWF, who presented a sculpture by the Argentine artist Norma D’Ippolito to the Headmaster of the Lyceum, and two Wallenberg commemorative medals to the Headmaster and to Congressman Bergstein.

Once the speeches were over, the standard-bearers left and the march ”My flag” was sung, an allusive plaque was unveiled at the main entrance of the Lyceum.

The Lyceum 53 is a wide building, developed in two floors and built in 1999. A thousand students of 12 to 15 years old attend classes in it. It is placed in the Eastern side, in Gauviyú Street, half a block from Luis Alberto de Herrera Avenue.

On August 4, the day of the 91st anniversary of Wallenberg’s birthday, the General Director of ORT University of Uruguay, Charlotte Strawszynski de Grünberg , who spent her childhood in Belgium hiding from the Nazis, and Dr. Miguel Bresciano, Director of Study Affairs of the ORT University of Uruguay, laid flowers next to the monument of the Swedish diplomat installed in the Battle Park.

Before a large audience of students, teachers, government officials, including national, municipal and community authorities, the meeting was organised by Nussia and José Weiss, who are in charge of the Venezuelan branch of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation. Also present were Anabel and Jorge Aquino, the principals of the Raoul Wallenberg Pre-school Educational Unit, situated in the Catia district of the capital city of Venezuela.

The inauguration of the Raoul Wallenberg School had been announced to the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, by Baruch Tenembaum, creator of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, in a meeting they held on August 4th, 2002 to mark the anniversary of the Swedish diplomat’s 90th birthday. Wallenberg disappeared in January 1945 after having saved the lives of tens of thousands of people, mostly Hungarian Jews, persecuted by the Nazi regime.
Nane Annan, wife of the United Nations leader and a niece of Raoul Wallenberg, sent the Wallenberg Foundation a letter of gratitude in which she expresses her satisfaction about the work being carried out by the NGO.

In turn, in a message specially sent from Jerusalem, Tenembaum pointed out:

”It is very exciting for all of us to see the birth of such an ambitious idea. Especially one that is so dear to the Wallenberg Foundation, as is the fact that a school now carries the name of one of the Heroes of the XX century. Thus, one of the most important wishes of Wallenberg’s sister, Nina Lagergren, has come true: to pass on to new generations the values that encouraged the conduct of this true ”Heroe without a Grave”.

During the ceremony a commemorative plaque marking the inauguration of the Wallenberg School was unveiled and a portrait of the missing Swedish diplomat, by artist Peter Malkin, was presented by the IRWF.
Venezuela becomes, thus, the second country in Latin America to have a Wallenberg School. In the near future a street is to be inaugurated with his name and a plaque in his memory will be unveiled at the Foreign Ministry, making this Caribbean country a hemispheric forerunner as far as its acknowledgements of the life and work of Raoul Wallenberg.
In accordance with what was expressed by the President of Federal Germany, Johannes Rau during his meeting held in Berlin in March, 2001, Baruj Tenembaum said:

”There are things in life that are more important than life itself. In accordance to what the voice of our forefathers tells us to do, we must look for Truth and Justice. There are lights and shadows in the world; and even though it is important not to forget the shadows, we have decided to dedicate our efforts to remembering the exceptions that constitute the lights. We have decided to promote the person of Raoul Wallenberg, a protestant who saved tens of thousands of Jews condemned to death, and many others like him who risked everything to help the others.”

Dear sir:

I am pleased to inform you that Governor Jaime Lerner is honored with your invitation.

Therefore, I would like to tell you that, in his latest action at the City Council, the Governor has paid homage to Raoul Wallenberg by naming an Educational center after him.

I am at your disposal for anything you may need.

Sincerely,

The Raoul Wallenberg School is located in Bromma, Stockholm. It is a private school with students in 7th, 8th and 9th grade, with plans to expand to upper secondary level.

The Raoul Wallenberg School uses Raoul Wallenberg and its legacy as an inspiration. Their guiding principles and clear values are honesty, compassion, courage and action. They focus on teaching the students to show respect for other human beings and become enlightened citizens of the world; two of Raoul Wallenberg’s epithets. Their international profile is prominent and reflected by the staff team with teachers from 13 different countries, including USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Nigeria, Lebanon, Paraguay and Sweden.

There are Raoul Wallenberg schools in several countries around the world, some of them named following a suggestion made by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF), a non-profit non-governmental organization, aimed at developing educational programs and public awareness campaigns based on the values of solidarity and civic courage, ethical cornerstones of the Saviors of the Holocaust. Countries include Germany, United States, Uruguay, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.

For more information about the IRWF, please visit www.irwf.org.

For more information about the Raoul Wallenberg School in Sweden, please visit http://www.raoulwallenbergskolan.se.

First grade teacher Miss Nelly Arregui read the biography of Raoul Wallenberg to the students and Ms. Patricia Vecilla, Principal of the School, closed the assembly by adding, ”We honor the birth of Raoul Wallenberg with enthusiasm, since we had encouraged our children to respect and admire this corageous man.”

Students sang the song ”There is Hope” in honor to the Swedish diplomat and several bulletin boards prepared by the teachers, containing pictures and a timeline of Wallenberg’s life, were exhibited at the end of the assembly.

Inspired by the diplomat’s heroic deeds as an example of inter-religious dialogue, Ms. Vecilla changed the name of the school to honor Raoul Wallenberg about three years ago, ”It is important that we unite against all forms of discrimination or persecution, regardless of the moment, place or circumstances,” she explained.