Essay: Raoul Wallenberg, a “Hero of the Holocaust”

Did you know the Holocaust was one of the largest genocides ever recorded in history? Happening approximately from January 30, 1933 – May 8, 1945 throughout all of Germany. People or organizations to keep in mind when reading include Adolf Hitler, the Nazis, Heinrich Luitpold Himmler, and Otto Adolf Eichmann. Even in a bad situation like this a hero emerged and did all he could to help suffering Jews. The definition of a hero is someone who is idolized or admired for their achievements or qualities. This perfectly defines Raoul Wallenberg, a “Hero of the Holocaust” for many reasons such as his background, heroic actions, and influence on others including myself.
Raoul had an exceptional childhood, in spite of his father’s death. August 4, 1912 is when Wallenberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden. His mother Maj gave birth at twenty-one,  despite being three months widowed. Raoul’s father an officer in the Swedish navy died of cancer. At age six his mother married Frederic Von Dardel. Although Dardel had a son and daughter of his own everyone bonded and became a close family.
Dardel was an outstanding addition to Raoul’s already rich and powerful family. For example one family member was an ambassador to the Swedish embassy in Japan while the other was a bishop for the Lutheran church. One uncle was the first professor of neurology and another was a jeweler and advisor to the king. Despite these high ranks there were also many bankers and diplomats. In result of such an outstanding upbringing, Raoul was expected to be a good student and attend only the elite schools. He exceeded all expectations by finishing high school in 1930 and graduating top of his class. Next he completed a mandatory six months of military training before moving to France to improve his French, having already perfected German, English and Russian. Upon return his grandfather urged him to study commerce and banking, Raoul refused to follow previous footsteps of the Wallenbergs and took his own path by attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to study architecture. Again he exceeded expectations by finishing a four and a half year program a year early, complemented with the reward of a medal given to only one out of 1100 students.
Wallenberg entered the workforce after completing school. First he traveled to South Africa for six months to work among a Swedish building firm in 1934. In 1935, he moved to Haifa, Palestine to work for a Dutch bank. There he met a numerous amount of Jews running from Nazis, this spoke to him. Returning to Sweden in 1936 he received a job at The Central European Trading Company, working for a Jewish man named  Koloman Lauer. Raoul a hard worker became junior partner in just six months.
Koloman Lauer more than just a businessman, was a member of the Joint Jewish Committee in Sweden. Mr. Lauer nominated Raoul Wallenberg to go to Budapest, Hungary as a Swedish diplomat to bring over or up to 700,000 Jews to safety. Wallenberg knew he was risking his life, but believing that he could save that many lives was worth it in his eyes. Although no one is sure, sources say he died of a heart-attack sometime in prison in 1947.
Even though no one knows of Raoul’s where abouts, we do know he saved many lives. Many Jews were already dead and Adolf Eichnann was planning  to get rid of the 700,000 Hungarian-Jews still in Budapest. Raoul (now age 32) arrived in Budapest as Secretary of Swedish Legation. At this point 400,000 Hungarian-Jews had been deported to death camps in South Poland. Raoul did his best and  saved over 100,000 using techniques such as issuing Swedish passports. In response, he was given an honorary US citizenship. Out of nowhere he disappeared, his driver Vilmos Langfelder was arrested by an NKVD. Suspected of espionage within the United States and Great Britain, both were put in a jail in Budapest before taken by train to Moscow. In February of that year, the Russian Ambassador to Stockholm assured Raoul’s mother that her son was doing fine and would be soon released. He advised her not to make a fuss about. Despite the reassurance, Raoul was not released, the Russian government claims he died in prison in 1947 of a heart-attack. Although other interviewed prisoners say they saw him in other jails, there have also been numerous reports of his sightings as recent as the late 1990’s. Raoul Wallenberg would be 88 years old if he is in fact still alive.
Wallenberg’s influence have not only spread world wide but across generations. After researching and learning of his bravery and selflessness, I’ve been focused on self-improvement. For example I want to better my work ethics and not let procrastination get the best of me. Even helping others on home-work or my parents around the house would build my character. After researching Raoul Wallenberg, getting to know him, and finding a personal connection to him I now understand why he did what he is not just a hero but an amazing figure to role model. In conclusion the Holocaust was a tragic event that shaped history worldwide and affected the lives of people even up to this day.