When the world’s evil feels overwhelming, despair may tempt us to stand by and do nothing, allowing injustice to thrive.

Today, on Raoul Wallenberg Commemorative Day, we honour the enduring legacy of Swedish diplomat and hero of the Holocaust Raoul Wallenberg, a hero who refused to be a bystander.

We also mark 80 years since his disappearance into the Soviet Gulag- a profound and ongoing injustice.

During the Holocaust’s darkest days, Wallenberg’s courage and ingenuity saved over 100,000 Hungarian Jews from deportation to Nazi death camps. Declared by the United Nations as “the greatest humanitarian of the 20th century,” he demonstrated that one person, armed with compassion and the courage to act, can stand against evil and change the course of history.

Raoul Wallenberg disappeared into the Soviet Gulag eighty years ago today, on January 17, 1945. (Getty Images)

Last year, we were proud to support a renewed international appeal for information about Wallenberg’s fate. Led by the Raoul Wallenberg Honorary Citizen Committee, Tel Aviv University, and the Raoul Wallenberg Research Initiative (RWI-70), this effort reflects the global commitment to securing long-suppressed truth and justice for Wallenberg and his family.

Every day, our team strives to uphold our namesake’s legacy by breathing life into his values. 

We work to prevent genocide, to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate, which history has shown us are toxic to democracy, and to defend political prisoners and human rights champions worldwide. From Russia to Iran, China, and beyond, we stand with today’s heroes of humanity, fighting for freedom and dignity.

Eighty years since Wallenberg’s disappearance, we remain dedicated to his vision of justice, and we invite you to join our efforts to advance human rights globally with courage, compassion, and resolve.

Source: https://www.raoulwallenbergcentre.org/en/news/2025-01-17