Holocaust Hero To Be Commemorated In Parsippany On His 114th Birthday

PARSIPPANY, NJ — The Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills will commemorate the life and legacy of Holocaust rescuer Raoul Wallenberg during its annual memorial ceremony on Sunday.

The event will begin at 1 p.m. at Smith Field Park and marks the 114th anniversary of Wallenberg's birth. Community members are invited to attend the ceremony honoring the Swedish diplomat, who is credited with saving tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust by issuing protective passports and establishing safe houses in Budapest.

Mayor Pulkit Desai will be joined by members of the Township Council, representatives from state and national government, religious leaders, members of the Morris County Human Relations Commission and civic leaders.

The program will also include the presentation of the Raoul Wallenberg Courage and Compassion Scholarship to winners from Parsippany High School and Parsippany Hills High School.

The annual ceremony recognizes Wallenberg's extraordinary courage and serves as a reminder of the importance of standing up against hatred, intolerance and persecution.

About Wallenberg

Wallenberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on Aug. 4, 1912, and worked as an architect and businessman before being recruited by the U.S. War Refugee Board in 1944 to aid Jews persecuted by the Nazis.

The diplomat issued "protective passports," or as Germans called them, "Schutz-Passe," to thousands of Hungarian Jews, saving them from deportation to the Auschwitz death camps.

Wallenberg also established soup kitchens, nurseries, hospitals, and safe houses, and helped create the “International Ghetto” to provide shelter and protection.

In just one year with the U.S. War Refugee Board, Wallenberg had saved more than 100,000 Jews from persecution and helped another 50,000 emigrate to safer countries.

In January 1945, Wallenberg was accused of espionage and arrested by the Soviet Union. He was never heard from again.

According to the Architect of the Capitol, Soviet officials requested a report on the fate of Wallenberg in 1956. The report said he had died of a heart attack in 1947.

“Wallenberg’s legacy continues to inspire humanitarian efforts worldwide and remains a powerful example of the impact one individual can have in the face of evil,” a Morris County statement read.