Raoul Wallenberg—A Candle in the Dark Catastrophic events rooted from mankind are not foreign to human history, however, neither are saviors. Spanning from Constantine of the Roman Empire to Harriet Tubman of the Underground Railroad, humans rescuing those threatened by the shadow of persecution have certainly made their stitch in the fabric of history. Of these anthropogenic disasters, the twentieth century cannot be overlooked; claiming an estimated eleven million lives, the Holocaust of World War II is regarded as the most deadly genocide to have ever taken place. Jews were targeted by the Nazi Party of Germany and were killed in the masses of thousands by the day for approximately six years spanning from 1939 to 1945. Few people had the
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It was there where Wallenberg first came in contact with the Jewish race. The persecution they faced everyday “affected him deeply” (“Raoul Wallenberg 2”). Although rightfully sympathetic, Raoul subsequently moved back to Sweden to rekindle his aspiration for business in his home country. Eventually, Raoul met a Hungarian Jew by the name of Koloman Lauer. Lauer was the director of a Swedish import and export company whose specialty was food and delicacies. Because Wallenberg’s language skills were second to none, and he had free range of travel, Raoul was the ideal business partner for Lauer. Through his travel agenda, Wallenberg visited and learned the customs of many European countries including Nazi-occupied France and Germany. He even made regular trips to visit with Lauer’s parents who resided in Budapest, Hungary. During the time in which the Western world was suddenly becoming aware of the Holocaust in 1944, Wallenberg’s copious business connections ultimately led him and Lauer to be chosen by the Swedish Red Cross to rescue the Jews of Hungary. Lauer persisted in his argument that Raoul be the leader of this mission, and eventually so, he became. Wallenberg “arrived in Budapest with a diplomat status given by the Swedish legation” (Greek 35). Mass deportations had already begun to occur in Budapest as only approximately 230,000 Jews were now left out of …show more content…
From Biblical times to modern day, we remember those who sacrificed themselves for the preservation of others. Not only did Wallenberg live a meaningful life, he is living an extraordinary memory. No other can avow that they’ve done what Raoul Wallenberg has done for the lives of thousands of people. The world hasn’t forgotten, and “while his exact fate remains a mystery, Wallenberg has received numerous accolades for his humanitarianism” (“Raoul Wallenberg 1”). Raoul Wallenberg is even honored in the Guinness Book of World Records as to have saved greatest number of people from extinction. After his ideal and moralistic childhood, Raoul Wallenberg became a humanitarian and saved thousands of Jewish lives in the Holocaust until his unfortunate demise that still remains an enigma to this
It was there where Wallenberg first came in contact with the Jewish race. The persecution they faced everyday “affected him deeply” (“Raoul Wallenberg 2”). Although rightfully sympathetic, Raoul subsequently moved back to Sweden to rekindle his aspiration for business in his home country. Eventually, Raoul met a Hungarian Jew by the name of Koloman Lauer. Lauer was the director of a Swedish import and export company whose specialty was food and delicacies. Because Wallenberg’s language skills were second to none, and he had free range of travel, Raoul was the ideal business partner for Lauer. Through his travel agenda, Wallenberg visited and learned the customs of many European countries including Nazi-occupied France and Germany. He even made regular trips to visit with Lauer’s parents who resided in Budapest, Hungary. During the time in which the Western world was suddenly becoming aware of the Holocaust in 1944, Wallenberg’s copious business connections ultimately led him and Lauer to be chosen by the Swedish Red Cross to rescue the Jews of Hungary. Lauer persisted in his argument that Raoul be the leader of this mission, and eventually so, he became. Wallenberg “arrived in Budapest with a diplomat status given by the Swedish legation” (Greek 35). Mass deportations had already begun to occur in Budapest as only approximately 230,000 Jews were now left out of …show more content…
From Biblical times to modern day, we remember those who sacrificed themselves for the preservation of others. Not only did Wallenberg live a meaningful life, he is living an extraordinary memory. No other can avow that they’ve done what Raoul Wallenberg has done for the lives of thousands of people. The world hasn’t forgotten, and “while his exact fate remains a mystery, Wallenberg has received numerous accolades for his humanitarianism” (“Raoul Wallenberg 1”). Raoul Wallenberg is even honored in the Guinness Book of World Records as to have saved greatest number of people from extinction. After his ideal and moralistic childhood, Raoul Wallenberg became a humanitarian and saved thousands of Jewish lives in the Holocaust until his unfortunate demise that still remains an enigma to this