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In the Spring of 1944, Hitler's
army had annihilated every significant Jewish community in Europe
except for the 700,000 Jews that remained in Budapest, Hungary. Plans for the murder of these
Jews were being formulated by the notorious Adolf
Eichmann. Mass
deportations took place daily and the neutral nations along with the
Allies felt that the limited number of protection passes being issued
was not enough. The search was on for someone to travel to Hungary,
under Swedish diplomatic auspices, to intervene on behalf of the
Jews.
In June 1944, thirty-two year old Swedish businessman, Raoul Gustav
Wallenberg was appointed as Secretary of the Swedish Legation in
Budapest. Though Wallenberg had no prior diplomatic experience, he had
the ability to persuade, and intimidate. Upon his arrival on July 8,
1944; 400,000 Jewish men women and children had already been deported
to the death camps in the south of Poland; 230,000 remained. During
his six months in Hungary's capitol he was responsible for the survival of 100,000 Jews. After the city was liberated by the Soviet Army in January 1945, Wallenberg was arrested by the Soviets and never heard from again.
This page was made by Sharon Klinder. I recently returned from a 4 month stay in Budapest where I continued my research through personal interviews. If you have any additional information or comments about the Hungarian Holocaust, please let me know. I would love to hear from you.
Last updated 9/18/99
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