"U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Douglas Davidson and U.S. Ambassador to Hungary Eleni Kounalakis attended the opening ceremony of the joint Hungarian-Swedish commemoration marking the centennial of Raoul Wallenberg’s life on January 17 at the National Museum.Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat who is credited with saving up to a 100,000 Hungarian Jews during the holocaust. Wallenberg’s work at the time was partially supported by the U.S. government and the U.S. Congress in 1981 granted him honorary U.S. citizenship.
In addition to the commemoration, while in Hungary Ambassador Davidson met with representatives of the Hungarian government, Jewish communities, and Holocaust-related institutions. Ambassador Davidson attended the commemoration of the 67th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Budapest Ghetto in the Dohány Street Synagogue on January 18.
He and Ambassador Kounalakis met with the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (MAZSIHISZ), the Autonomous Hungarian Orthodox Israelite Religious Community, and the Unified Hungarian Israelite Religious Community (Chabad) and visited the Jewish Cemetery on Salgótarjáni út.
Staff of the Budapest Holocaust Memorial Center gave Ambassador Davidson a tour of the Museum and discussed their current projects. In addition, residents of a home for elderly survivors of the Holocaust run by the Orthodox community told Ambassador Davidson and Ambassador Kounalakis about their concerns.
Ambassador Davidson also met with various government officials and the Jewish Heritage of Hungary Public Endowment (MAZSÖK) regarding restitution to Hungarian Holocaust survivors."
Source: U.S. Embassy Budapest
25.01.2012