Israel - Raoul Wallenberg - 999 silver, 60 g, 50 mm. Official Medal, 2003 First medal in the "Visa ...

Israel - Raoul Wallenberg - 999 silver, 60 g, 50 mm. Official Medal, 2003 First medal in the "Visa for Life" series commemorating Righteous Among the Nations diplomats. The rescue of Jews during the Holocaust sheds a few rays of light on the most horrific chapter in the History of the Jewish People. A handful of diplomats, designated as the "Righteous Among the Nations", secretly issued "Visas for Life", saving the lives of tens of thousands. They came from various countries and risked not only their professional careers, but their lives as well, often working against government policies in order to save others. The most renowned of these diplomats was Raoul Wallenberg, born in 1912 to an affluent, aristocratic Swedish family. In 1944, he began issuing protective passports to the Jews of Budapest, identifying them as Swedish subjects, and saved more than 25,000 lives. Wallenberg was last seen on January 17, 1945 as he was taken into the custody by Soviet soldiers. After ten years of denial and following the death of Stalin, the Soviet government admitted that Wallenberg had been imprisoned and that he died of a heart attack in 1946. In 1966, the Government of Israel declared Wallenberg as one of the "Righteous Among the Nations" and in 1981, the U.S. Congress awarded him honorary American citizenship. This official medal is an expression of sincere gratitude to the man who saved the lives of tens of thousands. Obverse: Portrait of Raoul Wallenberg; inscription "RAOUL WALLENBERG – SWEDEN" along the upper border and "Raoul Wallenberg" in Hebrew along the lower border. Reverse: Signature of Raoul Wallenberg, the crowns of the Swedish national emblem; diplomatic seal of Wallenberg, inscription "VISAS FOR LIFE" in Hebrew around the right-hand border and in English along the left-hand border; "BUDAPEST 1944-45", around the lower border.