Raoul Wallenberg Memorial - New York, NY
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 40° 45.106 W 073° 58.060
18T E 587146 N 4511713
A memorial to Swedish Diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is located on First Avenue in Manhattan.
Waymark Code: WMCWR1
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 10/20/2011
Views: 21
On a traffic island on First Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets, opposite the United Nations Building in Manhattan, there is a memorial to Swedish Diplomat Raoul Wallenberg who saved the lives of countless thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust. The memorial was created by Swedish artist Gustav Kraitz who named it "Hope". It was dedicated on November 9, 1998.
As I approached the monument from 47th Street, at first, the abstract monument was a mystery. I read the inscriptions in the order listed below. I could not help but become more and more amazed at the accomplishments of Raoul Wallenberg and wondered how he was able to save so many Jews. What was the rest of the world doing? Reading about his final fate was sobering. The meaning of the abandoned briefcase became a reality.
The memorial consists consists of five columns, the tallest of which is 23' high and topped with a blue pottery sphere. The front of each column is inscribed to relate some aspect of the accomplishments and life of Raoul Wallenberg. On the sidewalk, next to the columns, is a bronze briefcase with the initials RW, standing as if it were abandoned. It is meant to represents the unfinished work of the Swedish diplomat. The surrounding area is paved with granite from the Jewish ghetto of Budapest, a gift from Hungary.
The five inscriptions are:
Dedicated to
Raoul Wallenberg
a Swedish diplomat
born in 1912,
who was stationed
in Budapest, Hungary
1944 - 45
--------------------
Displaying great
daring and ingenuity
Raoul Wallenberg
saved the lives
of countless Jews
by placing them
under the protection of
the Swedish Government
--------------------
"I could never
return to Stockholm
knowing that I had
failed to do
everything
within human power
to save as many
Jews as possible"
- Raoul Wallenberg
--------------------
On January 17,1945
Raoul Wallenberg
was detained
and imprisoned by
the Soviet government
His fate remains
unknown.
--------------------
.... Raoul Wallenberg,
with extraordinary
courage and with
total disregard
for the constant
danger to himself,
saved the lives
of almost
one hundred thousand
men, women,
and children ....
-From the 1981
Joint Resolution of Congress
making
Raoul Wallenberg
an Honorary Citizen
of the United States