October 2, 2009

West Virginia Declares Raoul Wallenberg Day

Source:

Governor Joe Manchin Officially Declares October 5th, 2009 Raoul Wallenberg Day in West Virginia

New York, NY (HNN) – In honor of bravery, heroism and courage of Raoul Wallenberg, Governor Joe Manchin has officially declared Oct. 5, 2009, as Raoul Wallenberg Day in the State of West Virginia.

The IRWF initiated a campaign aimed at obtaining official proclamations of ”Wallenberg Days” in the United States in 2005. This is the second time that the State of West Virginia is joining our initiative and we couldn’t be more grateful.

Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat sent to Hungary in June 1944. In just a six-month stay in Budapest, he rescued tens of thousands of Jews. He was never seen again after January 17, 1945, when the Soviets imprisoned him. On October 5th 1981, Raoul Wallenberg was declared an Honorary Citizen of the U.S.

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) is a non-governmental organization with the mission to develop educational programs, historical research projects and public awareness campaigns based on the values represented by Raoul Wallenberg and other brave Rescuers of the Holocaust. More then 200 Heads of State, Nobel Prize laureates and other distinguished personalities from all walks of life are supporting the work of the Foundation as its Honorary Members.

A few years ago, the IRWF started ”Documenting Wallenberg – an Archive of Testimonies,” a project with the objective of gathering=2 0testimonials of those rescued by Raoul Wallenberg. We are still searching for more stories.

If you or someone you know was in Budapest, Hungary from 1944 until 1945, please contact us at 212-737-3275 orirwf@irwf.org