Stockholm commemorates the 80th anniversary of Hungarian Holocaust victims and survivors

Stockholm commemorates the 80th anniversary of Hungarian Holocaust victims and survivors, as well as the Swedish humanitarian rescue mission of 1944-45.

Réka Kiss Földváry (President of the Committee of National Remembrance), Áron Máthé (Vice-President) and Zsolt Horváth (Deputy Director of Research at the Committee office) were participants of the Riksdag organized commemorative meeting at the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm. A remembrance was made to the Hungarian victims of the Holocaust, as well as Raoul Wallenberg and the Swedish humanitarian rescue mission of 1944-45 - paying homage to both the Hungarian Holocaust victims, and the exceptional bravery of those who participated in rescuing them.

September 18th marked the launching of the two day long academic program sessions in Stockholm. Among the attendees were: Holocaust survivors, the family members of Holocaust survivors and of Raoul Wallenberg, historians, scholars, members of the parliament, Hungarian ambassador Adrien Müller and representatives of CSOs. Held in the parliament, the topic of the first session was concerning humanitarian activities done by Sweden/the Swedish delegation between 1944-45, rescuing Budapest Jews. Survivors of the Holocaust not only recalled the ferocious persecution Jews faced, but the consequences it led to as well. Hungarian, Swedish and Russian archival collections were mentioned - regarding further research possibilities, limitations and the newest results.

The commemoration continued on the 19th of September, with an academic seminar. Here Réka Kiss Földváry talked about the protestant rescue networks, with regards to Géza Soós. Áron Máthé gave a presentation on the role of so-called auxiliary police squads, when it came to fighting for resistance and rescue missions. The 4th Raoul Wallenberg International Roundtable allowed scholars, Holocaust survivors, politicians, journalists, CSOs, and the family members of political prisoners to share their thoughts with each other - furthermore, to reflect on the events 80 years prior and its aftermath.

This International Roundtable talk is the project of the Raoul Wallenberg Research Initiative/RWI-70, which works in collaboration with the Swedish Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Roundtable is one of three events concerning the 80th anniversary of the Hungarian Holocaust and the 1944-45 Raoul Wallenberg humanitarian rescue mission. These series of seminars were backed by the Forum för Levande Historia, the Jewish community of Stockholm, and the Jewish world congress. The Raoul Wallenberg Research Initiative was created through the collaboration of more than 200 researchers, Holocaust survivors, journalists, legal experts and human rights defenders in 2015.

Photos: Embassy of Hungary, Stockholm