100 år sedan Raoul Wallenberg föddes - Raoul Wallenberg centennial - "Sweden and Hungary learned nothing"

Shalom ♥ Jerusalem (The Times of Israel)
"The Swedish rescuer Raoul Wallenberg was born 100 years ago this summer, and his centennial is being commemorated with events in many cities across Europe and North America. On June 26, a symposium in his memory was held at Yad Vashem’s International Institute for Holocaust Research in Jerusalem."

Tomas Sandell, ECI: "Ask any Israeli diplomat in Europe which three EU member states are the most problematic for Israel, and Sweden will certainly be on the list." Despite their efforts to identify with the moral clarity and courage of Wallenberg, both countries have their own share of problems connected with the very same people that Wallenberg tried to save and with their ultimate safe haven — the State of Israel."

The Times of Israel:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/why-raoul-wallenbergs-centennial-matters/
"Not only was Wallenberg an emissary of his government, essentially he was an emissary of the Western world. In the name of the Western world, he not only engaged in rescue, but displayed the best in Western values in doing so — courage, compassion and ingenuity. He was the ideal the Western world would like to have lived up to more during those dreadful war years."

The Times of Israel:
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/sweden-hungary-learned-nothing-from-wallenberg/
Tomas Sandell: "The problem of rising anti-Semitism is not limited to Hungary and Sweden. Nevertheless, it is sad to note that the two countries that are most closely associated with the legacy of Wallenberg, namely Sweden and Hungary, are today among two of the most dangerous countries for the Jewish people in Europe. In Sweden the southern city of Malmö has become a no-go zone for Jews, and its mayor can no longer guarantee their security."--- The biggest paradox, however, has to do with the Swedish passport. Once a symbol of freedom and help for those Jews who were fleeing the Nazi death camps, it today symbolizes the exact opposite for those terrorists and extremists who are seeking a safe haven of their own."

Deutsche Welle:
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16144061,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
"Wallenberg obtained the schedule of the train transports to the concentration camps, and personally stopped trains to Auschwitz. He also saved Jews from deportation marches, stopped executions by Hungary's Nazis, the Arrow Cross Party. Wallenberg's courage is said to have even impressed some of the SS men."

Helsingin Sanomat:
http://www.hs.fi/paakirjoitukset/Wallenbergin+esimerkki+on+yh%C3%A4+tarpeen/a1343967985622
"Ky­se oli to­del­li­ses­ta roh­keu­des­ta ja suu­res­ta ih­mi­syy­des­tä, jo­ka käy meil­le joh­to­täh­dek­si vie­lä ny­kyään­kin, kun syr­jäy­ty­mi­nen, ul­ko­maa­lais­vi­ha ja an­ti­se­mi­tis­mi uh­kaa­vat jäl­leen vah­vis­tua ym­pä­ri Eu­roop­paa." --- "Wal­len­berg-vuo­den ta­pah­tu­mil­la ei muis­te­ta vain yh­tä mies­tä, hä­nen elä­mään­sä, kamp­pai­luaan ja suu­ruut­taan ih­mi­se­nä, vaan tar­koi­tus on myös osoit­taa, mi­tä vaa­ro­ja syr­jäy­ty­mi­seen ja syr­jin­tään liit­tyy. Sa­mal­la kiin­ni­te­tään huo­mio­ta sii­hen, kuin­ka tär­keää de­mo­kra­tian ja ih­mis­oi­keuk­sien tur­vaa­mi­nen se­kä vuo­si­tu­han­tis­ten ar­vo­jem­me puo­lus­ta­mi­nen yhä on."

Hufvudstadsbladet:
http://hbl.fi/nyheter/2012-08-04/100-ar-sedan-raoul-wallenberg-foddes

HONORING VICTIMS OF SHOAH AND SEYFO

Chief rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (Holocaust Memorial Day 2012)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2C-k4q_wLI
Cheif rabbi: ... "and so it goes on today, in Darfur and far too many other places today, where being the wrong color or ethnicity or religion or tribe deprives you of the most basic human right, to live in freedom without fear. There is still all too little protest."



http://spring96.org/en/news/55156

"On August 4, 2011, Ales Bialiatski, prominent Belarusian human rights defender, chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), was arrested and later sentenced to four and a half years of imprisonment.

We believe that his sentencing is illegal, as it is only linked to his human rights activities. Ales Bialiatski’s arrest was the result of the Belarusian authorities’ persistent policy against the country’s human rights and civil society organizations: dissolutions of NGOs by court rulings, denying state registration, including by the judiciary, criminal prosecution for illegal NGO activities, ban on and criminal prosecution for receiving foreign financial aid."

http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2012/7/24/55608/
"The human rights activist received the third penalty on June 1 for “sleeping in clothes on his bunk”. Byalyatski explained he was very tired and felt unwell."


/http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2012/8/3/56230/
“The detention of Nobel prize nominee Ales Bialiatski shows Lukashenka is attempting to silence independent voices and close down any criticism in Belarus. Bialiatski is one of Belarus’s leading human rights defenders and should be freed immediately.”


http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR49/013/2012/en/0292c5a2-b1ca-460d-adb3-534b89417eee/eur490132012en.html
Amnesty International: "One year ago on 4 August, prominent human rights defender Ales Bialiatski was arrested in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. He was sentenced to four and a half years for tax evasion charges. Amnesty International considers that he has been sentenced for carrying out his human rights activities and has declared him a prisoner of conscience." 





Photo: Kerstin L.