Monument to Wallenberg Is Defaced
A monument in Budapest to Raoul Wallenberg was defiled with bloody pigs’ feet.
A group of tourists visiting the site Tuesday discovered the defacement, according to the Hungarian media. Pictures showed four or five severed pigs’ feet strung on rope hanging on the statue, one of them positioned by Wallenberg’s head.
Budapest authorities promised “immediate action” on the case, according to the media.
This year, the centenary of Wallenberg’s birth, is being marked in Hungary as Raoul Wallenberg year. While a neutral Swedish diplomat in Budapest after the German occupation in 1944, Wallenberg issued Swedish travel documents – known as “Wallenberg passports” – to at least 20,000 Jews and also set up more than 30 safe houses for Jews. He disappeared while being escorted out of Hungary toward the Soviet Union in January 1945.
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
