[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RAOUL WALLENBERG CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION ACT

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                               speech of

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 16, 2012

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3001, the Raoul 
Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation will posthumously award the 
Congressional Gold Medal--the highest award that can be bestowed by 
this body--to Raoul Wallenberg on the centennial of his birth.
  The story of Raoul Wallenberg's work as an official with the Swedish 
Embassy in Hungary working in conjunction with the American War Refugee 
Board is one of bravery, heroism, and ultimately, self sacrifice.
  Though Raoul Wallenberg's fate remains a mystery to this day, his 
legacy can be seen in the tens of thousands of people who survived the 
war by virtue of his efforts--including my late colleague and friend 
Tom Lantos and his wife Annette.
  Of the 120,000 Hungarian Jews that survived the Holocaust, Raoul 
Wallenberg, acting under the War Refugee Board, is credited with saving 
an estimated 100,000 of them in a six-month period.
  This year, both Sweden and Hungary celebrate ``Raoul Wallenberg 
Year'' to mark the 100th anniversary of Wallenberg's birth.
  These nations will pay tribute to Wallenberg's courageous work by 
holding conferences, concerts, exhibitions, and other events to 
commemorate and educate people about the role he played helping to save 
the remainder of Hungary's Jewish community.
  I hope my colleagues join me in honoring the memory of Raoul 
Wallenberg and the innumerable individuals and their descendants that 
he helped save.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask Members of the House to vote for this important 
legislation.

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