By Jerry Klinger in Boynton Beach, Florida
Memory is an opportunity, a duty, an obligation. It can be denied only by deliberate erasure. Around the world and shockingly in the U.S., the denial of Holocaust memory is cancerously metastasizing.
Because of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, Holocaust Memory, and humanitarian courage beyond common understanding was not permitted to be erased. JASHP provided the funding and technical expertise without question or hesitation.
Comments by the Raoul Wallenberg Association, Hungary about the dedication:
A Tribute to the “Hero Without a Grave”
On October 15, 2026, the memorial plaque honoring Raoul Wallenberg was rededicated in a formal ceremony at the main entrance of the House of Fates (Sorsok Háza), located at the former Józsefváros railway station. The original plaque had been unveiled on January 17, 2006, but was stolen by unknown persons in 2013. Now, through the collaborative efforts of many, a fitting memorial once again marks the site where human destinies were decided in 1944.
The text of the new plaque reads:
“In late 1944, the Nazis’ Hungarian accomplices dispatched thousands of the remaining Jews from this station to the death camps. In November and December of 1944, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg saved hundreds of Jews from the ‘death trains’ on three separate occasions through his courageous personal intervention, securing their release by means of Swedish documents.”
The event was opened by Dr. József Sebes, President of the Raoul Wallenberg Association. Speeches were delivered by Karin Olofsdotter, Administrative State Secretary at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and former Swedish Ambassador to Budapest; Diana Madunic, Sweden’s Ambassador to Budapest; and historian Prof. Dr. Szabolcs Szita. According to József Sebes, it was a truly extraordinary feat—almost beyond comprehension—that Raoul Wallenberg, through his courageous and heroic actions, saved hundreds of people from certain death at this railway station. In his speech, he also shared a personal story:
Dr. Yvette Kardos—a recipient of the Wallenberg Prize and an association representative—shared that her own grandfather was saved at this very railway station. Following a suggestion from Wallenberg, he presented a laundry receipt he happened to have in his pocket as a letter of safe conduct—a document that was, miraculously, accepted.
Subsequently, Karin Olofsdotter, Director General for Administrative Affairs at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (and former Swedish Ambassador to Budapest), and Diana Madunic, the current Swedish Ambassador to Budapest, delivered speeches. Both paid tribute to the courage and example of Raoul Wallenberg, whose legacy continues to connect the Swedish and Hungarian peoples to this day.
Prof. Szabolcs Szita, former director of the Holocaust Documentation Center, delivered an address titled “Painful Remembrance.” He recounted the long journey undertaken by those who have fought to preserve this memorial site. Various proposals were put forward to save the railway station and transform it into an authentic memorial—including a plan for a “House of Remembrance” dedicated to the Jewish children who were killed.
However, the fate of the building complex remains uncertain, and the physical traces of the past at the site continue to be at risk. It is, therefore, of particular significance that Raoul Wallenberg’s memorial plaque has been restored today—along with the memory of the mass rescue operations so inextricably linked to his name. We extend our thanks to State Secretary Karin Olofsdotter and Ambassador Diana Madunic for today’s gesture and for their presence. We are grateful to Jane and Martin Sugarman (United Kingdom) and the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, whose support made the creation of the new plaque possible. We thank Prof. Szabolcs Szita for his moving and thought-provoking words, as well as everyone who joined us to commemorate together.
Raoul Wallenberg has no grave. His memory is preserved by the places where he saved lives—and by us, who ensure that these places do not fade into oblivion.
Raoul Wallenberg Association
Budapest, October 15, 2026
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Jerry Klinger is the founder of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.