On Monday, October 22nd, 2012, it was inaugurated in the Jewish Museum of Greece the temporary exhibition, “Raoul Wallenberg. Man Amidst Inhumanity”. The exhibition is dedicated to the courageous Swedish diplomat, who saved the lives of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews, during World War II, and was realised in cooperation between the Embassies of Hungary and Sweden in Athens.
Raoul Wallenberg, a descendant of a Swedish merchant family, arrived in Budapest in July 1944, four months after the German occupation of Hungary. In August of 1944, he issued under his diplomatic status 4.500 protective passports, which he had the Hungarian authorities accept as “family documents” and thus saving the lives of thousands of people. From the very beginning, he cooperated efficiently with the Red Cross, with the diplomats of neutral states and with Hungarian rescuers. Despite the dangers and the difficult internal political situation, Raoul Wallenberg although risking his own daily life, he never stopped fighting for the salvation of his fellow humans.
This year we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Raoul Wallenberg, the exhibition is dedicated to him, has dual significance. Firstly to honor life and the achievements of the Swedish Diplomat, but also to constitute an excellent example of humanity, respect for diversity and peaceful coexistence for the younger generations, in particular, today and because of the difficulties experienced by the country. The year celebration in memory of Raoul Wallenberg (2012) gives the opportunity to put concerns about important social issues of today, such as human values and rights.
The exhibition ran until November 11th, 2012.
