78 years ago yesterday, the Russians kidnapped you and your driver Longfelder and threw you both to rot away in the Gulag. Your mother cried out to deaf ears and we abandoned you. To describe your actions - our sages said - " Unconditional love is eternal".
The time has come for our people to understand - your actions ,who you are and what your spirit still will inspire.
Your grandfather said to you - " Raoul you come from an illustrious family but remember wherever you go relate to people heart to heart, never be aloof ".
And you took that kingly advice and interpreted in your truthful and simple down-to-earth way. In the Bible in the laws appertaining to kings it is written - " And your heart shall not rise to be higher than those of your brothers ". Otherwise you will lead them back to Egypt where they will be strangers in a stange land.
You didn't want us to feel strangers and abandoned, as if no one cared for us.
We forgot the correct attitude towards righteous gentiles and we abandoned you with a frightening lack of gratitude. In the book of Exodus, Phaeroh's daughter saves the baby she calls Moses. She is not satisfied in just saving the baby and she educates him with powerful compassion and prepares him for his mission..
Tragically - we view the Righteous Gentiles as something minor and not a major part of our historical education.
That is the reason we arm mass murderers. As our sages say -
" When we are cruel to the merciful, we become merciful to the cruel ".
Raoul, you looked upon our suffering and in your holy imagination ,you felt the pain as if it were you on the Death March. And you transformed the pain and suffering into Powerful Compassion.
"Don't dare stop me, you've kidnapped my children! "
Jewish children you saved told me they heard you shout these words to the Nazis. With an inner soul based authority you order the Jewish children to come with you. And the Nazis are astounded and taken aback.
Then later on,you yourself are abandoned by us in Lubianka in the Gulag. A prisoner in your cell asks you -
"Who are you, what are you doing here?".
And you reply - "My name is Raoul Wallenberg - I was on a humanitarian mission to save Jews ".
And he mocks you -
"Ha, ha, ha - Do you know who I am. My name is Gustav Richter and I was an aide of Adolph Eichmam in Rumania; Ironic - and now we're in the same cell .Was it worth saving the Jews Wallenberg? Does anyone think of you now Wallenberg? You're an innocent mug Wallenberg - Innocent mug! Wallenberg - Does anyone think of you now, Wallenberg. You're an naive mug Wallenberg - naive mug!"
He wasn't mocking you Raoul, he was mocking me, he was mocking our people.
In 1994 - I brought your brother Guy to Israel. (Professor Guy Von Dar del)
He travelled that year some fifteen times to Russia to look for you. I pleaded with the leaders of Israel and they didn't even want to meet him.
Only eight years ago I found out what happens to a nation who forgets a man like you. I received information that at the same time in 1994 we armed Rwanda before and during the massacre there.
Today I ask - Who am I? Who are we? That we have fallen and humiliated ourselves by arming mass murderers?
Yet, I believe that your spirit Raoul will yet influence our people. That your spirit will help us cry, to cry like you cried on the banks of the Danube River when you came to save and realised it was too late. How your tears empowered you not to give up on us. How you returned on another occasion to the Danube and shouted to the Nazis -
"If you want to murder them, you'll have to kill me first. They are my Jews ( my brothers under my protection)." And you saved them.
We will tell your story that is not over yet. We will arouse Israel to return to love of man - the love of Israel - one love. You taught us to hold on to that innocence of the heart and the soul.
Raoul Wallenberg - you will become the inspiration of Israel that is my promise today.
The writer has begun a hunger strike to emphasize the need to act to save people from hunger and violence.