The memorial evening was held on September 9, in Budapest, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Raoul Wallenberg's birth, a Swedish diplomat, who saved the lives of countless Hungarian Jews during the holocaust.
Esteemed Ladies and Gentlemen,
There are people, who - although we are not acquainted personally – we still feel close to. People, who we feel, would be good to talk with, to exchange ideas with, to think together about something and to act together. Or even to invite them for a cup of tea and simply listen to the silence together.
We, who are gathered here today probably all feel like the same about this kind, bright-eyed, intelligent, courageous and resolute young man, who looks at us from old photos yellowed with time.
He is Raoul Wallenberg.
Had the Lord granted him a long life, we could also be celebrating him, as we did with the widow of Miklós Radnóti and Fanni Gyarmati, who is also celebrating a round anniversary.
Wallenberg was also born 100 years ago, as the son of a successful and prestigious family in Stockholm. Despite the very good family background, a serious tragedy overshadowed the birth of little Raoul. His father passed away a few weeks before he was born, so he never got to know him, just as those born after the war couldn’t meet him.
He died in a Soviet prison. According to assumptions on 16th July 1947. It’s been 65 years since.
Who knows, how many of the murderers of this man - who saved so many people from certain death – how many of his faceless executioners are there, who are still living among us today? We will never know the answer. Just as 65 years ago, they deprived us forever of the opportunity to be able to ever say “good evening Mr Wallenberg, welcome among us”.
Nor would we ever find out what he would say, if he were among us now. Would he be happy that we are celebrating him? Wold he ask us not to look on him as a hero, because he never wanted to become one? Because he only wanted to be a man, who always did what he considered to be his elementary obligation.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Remembering Crowd,
It is important, that we should understand in our hearts and minds, what Wallenberg represented. Although he was a well prepared, well-educated and complex personality, a man, who did a lot, who was capable of brilliantly thinking through and taking a series of complicated tactical steps, the message of his life is still as clearly simple, as the structure of crystal.
This is what it conveys to me: the place of decent people is on the side of the innocent victims. On the side of action. On the side of our common values, of democracy, morals and truth. Against exclusion, hatred, dictatorship and violence.
Although we cannot address him, we can still conjure his figure. The figure of a man, who György Somlyó – a witness, a poet and essayist, who is unfortunately not with us anymore – remembered like this.
“There I stood with my Schutz-Pass in my hand. I had no clue what all this was for, especially because I knew what it was not for, since I knew that I was holding a piece of forgery. I remember that we had to line up and those with a Schutz-Pass had to step out. I stepped out.
Then they lined us up again.
It turned out that there was a small table out front; sitting by it was a gendarmerie colonel and a young man, who was employed by the Swedish Embassy.
Both sat behind a big book, which had the names of everybody, who had valid papers. I tried to move to the back of the line, in order to have my turn with my forged Schutz Pass come as late as possible. As I was standing there, all of a sudden I discovered an extremely elegant gentlemen standing by the table facing us.
His impeccable English elegance, the speckles black trousers, his coat and the white silk scarf were strange in that ruinous and filthy environment, especially in light of our rig-rag, torn and tattered clothing. I could not imagine who this person could be and what got him there, so I looked with interest at what he was doing.
All of a sudden it was my turn. Like with everybody, they took my papers and started checking what the big book had on me. There was nothing to be found there, because my papers were forged. But all of a sudden, this quiet gentleman took my Schutz Pass from the hands of the colonel and acted like he was scrutinizing it closely. He held it before his eyes, then very elegantly and with some disdain in his voice he said: this is my signature, these data are correct, this document is valid.
Finally he did not return the document to the gendarmerie colonel, but instead placed it in my hands. I started walking, clutching the document because I saw that was what everybody did before me. I had never heard of him before and even then, the only thing I found out was that this elegant gentleman was saying, it was his signature on my document.
In the place of the signature was: Wallenberg."
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is the story of thousands and thousands of people. The story of people, who were given the chance of survival by Wallenberg and his courageous helpers.
Among them, compatriots of ours, who followed their conscience and not only did not agree with the shame of the ghettos and deportations, the death factories, but within their means and capabilities, they did what could be done against all this. There were some who forged baptism certificates, there were some who provided refuge and a hiding place, some gave food and there were some, who used their own marriage certificates to save many others from death.
Let us also think of them, when we remember Wallenberg. Let us also remember them, even if there isn’t any true story, any of the moving stories of solidarity and belonging together that could make us forget the faces of victims.
Hundreds and hundreds of thousand children, youth, parents and grandparents look at us from after-life, asking us: how could all this have happened? How could it happen in Europe that several millions of people could be dragged away and deported from Nazi-occupied countries to the death camps of barbarity?
This is also what happened in Hungary. The Arrow Cross puppet government is responsible for the deaths of several hundreds of thousands of our compatriots. We will never forget them. We will never forget those who were destroyed by the reign of terror of the national socialist state machinery for one single reason: they were born Jewish.
They were our compatriots.
Let us remember them when we sing our national anthem:
“Though in caves pursued he lie, even then he fears attacks. Coming forth the land to spy, even a home he finds he lacks.”
Evoking the memory of the innocent victims of Nazism, we also have to remember how many times we Hungarians, all of us have had to endure this common trauma together.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am convinced that we will be worthy of the memory of Wallenberg and the Hungarians who helped him, or followed his example if we ourselves walk the same path, that they did before us. From them, we can learn that we to join together in a community of fate, lest we become fateless. It means that we have to strengthen, what binds us together. This also means that we have to say again and again: no decent Hungarian may turn on another compatriot on the grounds of any ideology or political conviction. Nor can they promote death, ill fate, discrimination or exclusion from our political nation for any of them.
We have to take care of our common home.
The command of ethical action is a vivid tradition in Hungarians. This tradition also contributed to the success of Wallenberg’s actions in Hungary. This also manifested when, after the demise of the Soviet Union, it was natural for us to adopt hundreds of thousands of Jews in transit during the Balkan-wars, or to support the “aliyah” during the early 1990s.
It was also natural for us to look on members of minority communities living with us as people, who through the performance they give in preserving their own identity, strengthen their Hungarian character as well.
Because, since our state founding King Stephen, Hungary has been an inclusive country. Our culture was made great by inclusion, just as the Hungarian language also became one of the richest languages of the world by virtue of inclusion.
Saint Stephen, in his admonitions written to his son said the: “a country with a single language and homogeneous customs is weak and fallible, therefore I command you my son that you should benevolently receive and appreciate arriving strangers, so that they should decide to stay with you and not others”.
This is our 1000-year old heritage. Just as the legacy of Wallenberg is also part of our heritage.
You have honoured me with your attention.