There were more than 800,000 Jews living in Hungary when the Nazis invaded in March 1944. Over the next 8-10 weeks, 424,000 Jews were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Nazis and Arrow Cross Hungarian collaborators murdered thousands of Jews on the banks of the Danube River and tens of thousands were marched hundreds of miles towards the Austrian border. Approximately 565,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered. Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat and businessman arrived in Budapest on July 9, 1944. He was responsible for issuing Swedish passports – Shutzpasses, and for purchasing safe houses where Jews were protected under Swedish diplomatic immunity. Wallenberg saved more than 20,000 Jews. In addition, his actions negotiating directly with Eichmann to prevent the liquidation of the Budapest ghetto, saved an additional 70,000 Jews. On January 26th, 2025, we will highlight the stories of four Raoul Wallenberg survivors from around the world and will include a keynote address and panel discussion with Irwin Cotler, International Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights.

Eva Meisels was born in Budapest, Hungary, on July 3, 1939. In November 1944, she and her mother were in the Budapest ghetto. They acquired false papers from Raoul Wallenberg and were liberated by the Soviet army in January 1945. After the Hungarian Revolution, she immigrated to Canada.

Robert Ratonyi was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1938. His childhood was scarred by fear, upheaval, hunger and loss. Both of his parents were deported to concentration camps. He attributes his survival to 5 great heroes including Raoul Wallenberg. He now lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Haim Ra’anan was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1935. He was robbed of his childhood by persecution and war. He and his mother survived the Holocaust through diplomatic protection from Raoul Wallenberg papers. He immigrated to Israel, and lives on Kibbutz Be’eri. On the morning of October 7th, 2023, he became a survivor of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

Agnes Keleti z"l: January 9, 1921 - January 2, 2025, Budapest, Hungary. She was a world champion gymnast and at 103 years - was the longest living Olympic champion and medalist. She survived the war in hiding. Her mother and sister are Raoul Wallenberg survivors. Her father and other relatives died at Auschwitz. May her memory be a blessing.

Professor Irwin Cotler is the International chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Parliamentarian, and an international human rights lawyer.

The event also includes a panel discussion moderated by Nadia Bilchik.

If you are having difficulty signing up for this event, or if you do not receive a confirmation email, please email us at amyisraelchaiatlanta@gmail.com