Momentum is building very rapidly in support of the legislation introduced by Representatives Nan Hayworth and Gregory Meeks for the Congressional Gold Medal for legendary Holocaust hero Raoul Wallenberg.
The bill that they recently introduced in the United States House of Representatives has already garnered close to two hundred co-sponsors in recognition of the upcoming centennial of Wallenberg’s birth–a campaign that is being spearheaded by the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Commission.
According to Ezra Friedlander, CEO of The Friedlander Group and spokesman for the Commission the goal is to have the “requisite two thirds of the Congress sponsor the legislation which will lead to the legislation voted on unanimously and presented in 2012, which is being referred to as the Year of Wallenberg in everlasting tribute to a great humanitarian whose unparalleled heroism resulted in his rescue of over 100,000 Jews in the waning days of World War II”.
The Wallenberg Commission recently concluded high level meetings in Washington DC. The delegation met with several US Senators: Frank Lautenberg, Michael Bennet, Bob Corker, Richard Blumenthal, Robert Casey, Mike Johanns.
The delegation was also received by the Republican (Majority) leadership of the House of Representatives including Majority leader Eric Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and Congressman Bob Turner. The group also met with White House Director of Jewish Outreach Jarrod Bernstein.
The Senators and Representatives were all unified in their support of the campaign to award Raoul Wallenberg with a Congressional Gold Medal, which is one of the two highest US Government medals.
The participants at these high level meetings included: Peter Rebenwurzel whose late father provided canned goods and meat to the Jews in the Budapest Ghetto; Erol User who flew in from Istanbul, Turkey and Patricia Tiffany who represented Flushing Bank, an official corporate sponsor of the educational activities of the Wallenberg Commission.
For more info, visit TheFriedlanderGroup.com/Wallenberg
Even Charbonah – who did nothing until it was clearly safe – gets a mention of “zachur latov.’
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PROJECT THAT HONORS A TRUE HERO AND SOMEONE THAT THE JEWSISH COMMUNITY SHOULD FOREVER REMEMBER AND HONOR!