Houston's Holocaust Museum marks 70th anniversary Auschwitz-Birkenau liberation
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A powerful and somber ceremony took place Tuesday at Houston's Holocaust Museum, marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Attendees paid tribute to all 6 million victims, including the 1.5 million children who perished at the hands of Nazi Germany in systematic killings spanning before and during World War II.
The event honored a Swedish diplomat named Raoul Wallenberg. Wallenberg is credited for helping tens of thousands of Jewish people, survived Germany occupation in Hungary back in 1944. Wallenberg issued certificates of protection from the Swedish government and helped designate more than 30 safe house in Budapest. Swedish Ambassador to the United States, Bjrn Lyrvall, said Wallenberg serves as an example of how people still choose good in the face of evil.
"While Wallenberg wasn't the only one, he's one of the more well known. There were others as well, who took these risks with determination and compassion," said Ambassador Lyrvall. "This is something we need to be reminded of."
Wallenberg was last seen in Soviet hands in 1945. He was presumed to have died in a Soviet prison around 1947.
