RAOUL WALLENBERG HONORED AT 13TH AVENUE STREET NAMING

Over 150 Borough Park residents, elected officials, and ambassadors to Sweden and Hungary braved the rain on Sunday, December 9, 2012 to honor the legacy of great humanitarian Raoul Wallenberg at a street co-naming ceremony hosted by Councilman David G. Greenfield at the corner of 13th Avenue and 50th Street. The entire stretch of 13th Avenue in Borough Park from 36th Street to 60th Street has been co-named “Raoul Wallenberg Way” in honor of the great World War II hero who helped save as many as 100,000 Hungarian Jews from certain death in Nazi concentration camps.

The emotional ceremony culminated a year-long commemoration honoring Raoul Wallenberg’s legacy to mark his 100th birthday, and came after the City Council approved the street co-naming earlier this year. Borough Park is home to the largest population of Holocaust survivors in the United States, and many local families are descendants of individuals saved by Wallenberg, making 13th Avenue a fitting location for this historic event. The street’s co-naming will help ensure that future generations of Borough Park and Brooklyn residents will know of Raoul Wallenberg and his heroic actions on behalf of others during the Holocaust. Joining Councilman Greenfield at the ceremony were numerous prominent elected officials, including Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, former City Comptroller Bill Thompson, State Senator-elect Simcha Felder, Assemblyman Bill Colton and Assemblyman David Weprin. Other attendees include members of the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Commission, Consul General of Hungary Karoly Dan and Honorary Consul General of Sweden David E. R. Dangoor. After a series of addresses by several of the dignitaries, Councilman Greenfield led the formal unveiling of a new city sign designating 13th Avenue as “Raoul Wallenberg Way.”

“The realization of Raoul Wallenberg Way will forever be a testament to the heroism of Raoul Wallenberg and will indeed forever be a symbol of our gratitude to Raoul Wallenberg for saving 100,000 Jewish lives, many of whom later reestablished themselves here in Borough Park, including my late grandfather, the previous Liska Rebbe, of blessed memory,” said Ezra Friedlander, CEO of the Friedlander Group, which spearheaded the creation of the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Commission.