October 11, 2012

The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of the United States to present
The Raoul Wallenberg Civic Courage Award to Police Commissioner of New York

New York, NY - On Wednesday, November 7, 2012 The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of the United States will present The Raoul Wallenberg Civic Courage Award to the Hon. Raymond W. Kelly, Police Commissioner of the City of New York. The award will be presented on the celebratory occasion of the 100th birthday of Raoul Wallenberg, the heroic Swedish diplomat who led an extensive and successful mission to save the lives of nearly 100,000 Jews in Nazi-occupied Hungary.

In times of crisis, the Commissioner has acted on principle and always with conviction, pragmatism and courage as he and his department have taken on the monumental challenge of overseeing security for the citizens of New York. Rachel Oestericher Berhneim, Chairman of The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of the United States said, "Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly stands as a symbol for New York City, and its citizens, as a bastion in the fight against terrorism-much as Raoul Wallenberg stood as a symbol for the Jews of Hungary in the fight against Nazism."

The Raoul Wallenberg Civic Courage Award will be presented to Police Commissioner Kelly at a Gala Dinner at The Yale Club of New York, in the presence of invited guests including HRH Madeleine, Princess of Sweden; H.E. Mr. Jonas Hafstrom, The Swedish Ambassador to the United States; U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and former President William J. Clinton.

Raoul Wallenberg was arrested by the Soviets in 1945 and was never again seen as a free man. The search continues for the truth about his fate. He has been the subject of numerous humanitarian honors in the decades following his disappearance, including becoming an Honorary Citizen of the United States by Act of Congress. At Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial museum, Wallenberg is designated as one of the Righteous among the Nations.

The Gala is Chaired by Carl and Gail Icahn; Alan and Kathryn Greenberg; the Hon. David and Ide Dangoor, Swedish Honorary Consul General to New York; and Charles and Rachel Oestreicher Bernheim. Invited guests include Nina Lagergren and Nane Annan, Raoul Wallenberg's Sister and Niece; H.E. Mr. Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary General of the U.N; H.E. Marten Grunditz, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the U.N.

For more information on the historic legacy of Raoul Wallenberg, or to learn more about the November 7, 2012 Gala Dinner and Award Ceremony, please call Diane Blake at 917-606-8260. The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of the United States, a New York based 501(c)3, was established in 1981 to educate the American public about the heroic and humanitarian actions taken by Raoul Wallenberg.

MORE INFORMATION HERE