Morris County politicians, clergy and members of the Jewish and Swedish communities gathered in the New Jersey township of Parsippany-Troy Hills on Aug. 3 to mark 80 years since the Swedish diplomat and “righteous gentile” Raoul Wallenberg disappeared in 1945.
Wallenberg, who saved 100,000 Jews from Nazi death camps, was taken into Soviet custody on Jan. 17, 1945, after which he disappeared. The Soviets said in 1956 that he had died in prison nearly a decade prior, in 1947.
The Parsippany event was part of the township’s annual commemoration of the diplomat’s disappearance.
“Raoul Wallenberg’s story is not just one of courage, but of compassion, conviction and a commitment to the highest ideals of humanity,” James Barberio, mayor of the township, told JNS. “At a time when the world seemed paralyzed by fear and indifference, Wallenberg chose to act.”
“This memorial is not just a tribute to one man, but a reminder to all of us to live with purpose, to act with integrity and to never be silent in the face of an injustice,” he said. “May we continue Raoul Wallenberg’s legacy to make the world a place where kindness and courage are never short in supply.”
