In collaboration with the Washington State Jewish Historical Society; the Jewish Federation of Seattle and the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource center, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg will be honored at the Nordic Heritage Museum’s annual fundraiser dinner this June.
Wallenberg’s efforts saved the lives of thousands during World War II and for that state Sen. Ken Jacobsen initiated the annual event.
This year’s dinner will take place Wednesday, June 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the museum, 3014 N.W. 67th St.
Keynote speaker, Dr. Marvin W. Makinen and Ari D. Kaplan will be joining the festivities and will discuss their research for the Swedish Russian Working Group on the fate of Raoul Wallenberg.
Claims of the Soviet and Russian governments that Wallenberg, who was taken prisoner by the Soviet Union in 1945, died in 1947 have long been debated, according to the Nordic Museum.
Numerous eyewitness accounts have described sightings of Wallenberg in prisons, labor camps and psychiatric institutions long after his alleged death, a number of reports focused on the Vladimir Prison located 200 kilometers east of Moscow.
Makinen was a prisoner himself at Vladimir and had interviewed witnesses who identified Wallenberg as having been held in solitary confinement.
With the help of computer database expert Kaplan, Makinen and Kaplan have done a cell occupancy analysis, which demonstrated records documenting the occupants of the cell in which Wallenberg was reportedly held but prison archives have been removed.
Their research contributes to an evolving understanding of the possible circumstances surrounding Wallenberg’s imprisonment.
Also on Tuesday evenings starting in May through early June, the museum will also pay tribute to Wallenberg’s humanitarian work by presenting the Wallenberg Lecture Series, which will explore topics relevant to social justice and Scandinavian society. This year’s theme is “The Immigrant Experience in Scandinavia."
To make reservations for the dinner contact Sharmon Cooper at sharmonc@nordicmuseum.org or 206-789-5707 ext. 10.
