Report of Activities 1998-1999

Diplomacy and the Holocaust program

Historian José Ignacio García Hamilton and journalist Nicholas Tozer presented at the Swedish Embassy in Buenos Aires the IRWF educational program titled, ”Diplomacy and the Holocaust”, a project that seeks to disseminate the life rescuing actions of the diplomats who saved thousands of lives during the Holocaust (1933-1945), among them Raoul Wallenberg’s legacy.

Public Space named after Raoul Wallenberg

The joint effort of the Municipal Government of Montevideo, the Central Jewish Committee of Uruguay and the Uruguayan Department of External Affairs yielded the unveiling of a public space dedicated to the heroic deeds of Raoul Wallenberg in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Sculpture-Homage to Raoul Wallenberg

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation requested a sculpture be created titled, ”Homage to Raoul Wallenberg” from the renowned Argentine sculptress, Norma D’Ippólito.

Raoul Wallenberg Portrait

At the homage that took place at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the painting of Wallenberg done by Peter Malkin, the man who captured the high ranking Nazi official, Adolf Eichmann, was exhibited. Malkin declared in reference to the work, ”with the same hands that I captured Eichmann I have painted the face of the hero of the millennium: Raoul Wallenberg.”

Educational Center

An educational center was named after Raoul Wallenberg in the state of Paraná, Brazil, after the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation made a suggestion to local Governor Jaime Lerner.

UNESCO, Paris

Homage was given to Raoul Wallenberg by UNESCO at its headquarters in Paris. The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation participated by awarding Federico Mayor, General Director of UNESCO and U.S. Congressman, Tom Lantos with the sculpture ”Homage to Raoul Wallenberg”, created by Argentinean artist Norma D´Ippólito.

Monument in New York

On November 9, 1998, ´Hope´, a monument dedicated to Raoul Wallenberg, was unveiled in Manhattan, New York, on the corner of 47th Street and First Avenue. The monument is the work of Swedish artist Gustav Kraitz.

Koffi Annan and the IRWF

On November 6, 1998, Baruch Tenembaum, founder of the IRWF, visited the United Nations and was the guest of a reception at the office of UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan.

Homages to Wallenberg in Buenos Aires

On November 15, 1998, The IRWF held a remembrance service in homage of Raoul Wallenberg. The service was organized jointly with the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in the Metropolitan Cathedral. This Catholic church is the only one with a mural remembering the victims of the Holocaust.

Wallenberg statue in Buenos Aires

On November 17, 1998 the Argentine government unveiled a statue in Raoul Wallenberg’s honor on the corner of Figueroa Alcorta Avenue and Austria Street in Buenos Aires (picture enclosed). The statue is the work of British sculptor Philip Jackson and is similar to the one set up in London in 1997

Argentine Postal Stamp

On November 21, 1998 a postal stamp remembering Raoul Wallenberg was issued by the Argentine Postal Service (Correo Argentino) based on a suggestion made by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF). It is the fourth stamp of its kind, the others being issued in Israel, Sweden and the US.