Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who helped save up to 100,000 Jews during the Holocaust, was honored in an Australian parliament.

New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell marked the centenary since Wallenberg’s birth Wednesday by announcing an annual human rights award in Wallenberg’s name.

“It is important the New South Wales Government pays tribute to a person who has made lasting and meaningful contributions to the advancement of human rights,” O’Farrell said.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Among the speakers in New South Wales Parliament House were the ambassadors of Sweden, Hungary and Israel, as well as George Farkas, a retired barrister in Sydney who believes his father John – who was Wallenberg’s right-hand man in Budapest – was the last person in the West to see him before he was captured by the Soviets in January 1945.

“It is imperative that we never forget and honor incredible heroes like Raoul Wallenberg, who represent everything that is decent, humane and honorable and who, at the price of their own life, stood up against evil when it really counted,” Farkas said.

New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff said: “The New South Wales Human Rights Award in his name is wonderful recognition of a man who was one of the true heroes of the 20th century.”

Wallenberg set up safe houses and issued travel documents that saved tens of thousands of Jews. His fate remains a mystery.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount