On August 4, 1912 Raoul Wallenberg was born into a wealthy Swedish family just a few months after his father passed away due to cancer. Before Raoul had discovered his colorblindness he gave up on a career in the Navy, where his father had a career, and became further interested in drawing and construction. Raoul became fluent in foreign languages, learned social skills, and international perspective from studying a variety of subjects and traveling, at such a young age. Later, Raoul attended the University of Michigan and attained a bachelors degree in architecture ![Passport photograph of Raoul Wallenberg. Sweden, June 1944.]()
with honors. During his four years at Michigan rather than travel home for the summer Raoul hitchhiked across America. He was able to see the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the Chicago World’s Fair. After his hitchhiking and college career he returned to Sweden in search for a job in architecture. Unfortunately there was no need for architects in Sweden. Raoul was forced to search for a job elsewhere and found a job as a banker in Palestine.
One day at his job Raoul had found out about the horror that was being forced upon Jews from people fortunate enough to escape. Germany soon invaded Hungary, home to many Jews, because of trying to negotiate peace with the allies. Adolf Hitler ordered Adolf Eichmann to dispose of the Jews in Hungary and force them into the labor camps. Near the time Hungary was invaded, Raoul was selected by representatives of the World Jewish Congress, the U.S. government’s War Refugee Board, and the Swedish government to help save Jewish people. Raoul once stated “If I can help, if I can save a single person, I will go,”.
![A group of Hungarian Jews rescued from deportation by Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg. Budapest, Hungary, November 1944.]()
A group of Hungarian Jews rescued from deportation by Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg. Budapest, Hungary, November 1944.
Raoul saved more thane he expected. He and others went to Hungary to prepare protective passes to give to the Hungarian Jews. Raoul hired volunteers for a special branch mostly made up of Jews to give out the passes that granted diplomatic immunity. During this time he was able to deliver passports to about 20,000 people and housed 12,000 in his 32 safe houses. He would even go on trains where he would pull hundreds off by giving them passes. Another plan he used was by threatening Nazi soldiers with committing war crimes. Eichmann being frustrated with Wallenberg even tried an assassination on Raoul that fortunately failed. Wallenberg even passed out the citizenship passes to Jews on Death Marches towards the end of the war.
Agnes Mandl worked with Raoul in 1944 to save those who were being prosecuted and executed. In one instance she helped save 50 Jews that were being murdered by the Danube River. In order to kill the Jews at the river, the Nazis would tie three Jews together and shoot the victim in the middle. The innocent victims would fall and drown in the river below them. That night Agnes, along with Raoul and others, jumped in the icy river to retrieve those that had been thrown into it and would’ve died a slow death.
The hero of the holocaust is not exactly rewarded. After Raoul saved thousands of those who were prosecuted by Nazis he wanted to discuss with the Soviet Union to help rebuild cities and resettle the remaining Jews. The Soviets of well aware of his contacts in took him into a prison in 1945 for being a suspected spy. For many years many theories had accumulated according to how he died. At first the Soviets had stated he had passed away due to a heart condition after two years in the Lubyanka Prison in Moscow. Now after many investigations the Russians have released a statement that Raoul was wrongfully arrested. It is suspected that his death was by force but is still unknown.
Raoul now is a worldwide figure of courage after saving thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. People were desperate for the help and courage of one man and his volunteers to be saved from the horror that consumed everything around them. After being wrongfully accused of being a spy and ultimately killed in prison Raoul Wallenberg is now remembered by the many memorials that can be found in many places in North America and Europe.
![Statue of Raoul Wallenberg, Budapest]()
Statue of Raoul Wallenberg, Budapest
Bibliography http://atimeofterror-wwiiandholocaust.wikispaces.com/Wallenberg%20Bibliography
with honors. During his four years at Michigan rather than travel home for the summer Raoul hitchhiked across America. He was able to see the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the Chicago World’s Fair. After his hitchhiking and college career he returned to Sweden in search for a job in architecture. Unfortunately there was no need for architects in Sweden. Raoul was forced to search for a job elsewhere and found a job as a banker in Palestine. 
