Professor Recalls Talented, Amiable Student Named Raoul
The people and the government
(Continued front Page 1)
Every time a Jew was in danger, of Sweden were not silent. In 1947
he presented him with such a . a petition was signed by 1,600.000
- passport," and a life was saved. Swedes asking the Soviet Union
release him. There was no reply.
He influenced other nations, to As
late as 1961, Dr. Nana
especially Switzerland, to be of Svartz,
to Wallenberg's
some assistance in this task, mother, physician
returned from Russia with
and Swiss "passports" similarly
So-
report that a distinguished So-
helped save many lives, as in a viet scientist had told her that
the instance of the Gelberman
a mental hos-
family who now are Oak Park Wallenberg
pital, in a was
poor in condition. But
residents.
confronted later, the scientist de-
Whenever he heard of a march vied having given that information.
to death, Wallenberg rushed to the That is why Wallenberg's mother
scene with his diplomatic papers, and the Swedish government of fi-
and by using threats he induced cially refuse to view Wallenberg
the Nazis who were driving Jews as dead. That is why whatever is
to their doom to release many of done to honor him is a tribute
those who were selected for the linked with hope that he is still
death camps. alive.
It is not k n o w n how many
Even before Arthur Morse had
lives Wallenberg had saved. The retold the Wallenberg story in
figure varies from a certain "While Six Million Died," the
SOL KING
20,000 to as many as 50,000 or Swedish architect-banker-turned-
60,000. The courage he displayed, diplomat was not forgotten. But letter to the editor of The Jewish
the firmness with which he dealt j the Morse account inspired the News, recalled:
with Nazi officials, the determina. eminent architect, Sol King,
"Your letter just received inter-
tion with which he kept claiming president of Kahn Associates, ested me greatly. I did indeed
that those under his care were his who was a classmate of Wallen- know Raoul Wallenberg very well
country's subjects, his threats to berg at the University of Michi. and over a period of several years.
Nazi generals that if they did not gan, to start a fund for a lec. He was one of the brightest and
submit to his demands his country I tureship in Wallenberg's honor best students I think I had in my
would know how to deal with them I in the U. of M. School of Archi- 30-year experience as a professor
after the war because the Nazi tecture. He began by asking for ' of drawing and painting in the
defgat was approaching. — these 100 $1,000 gifts for a $100,000 College of Architecture and Design
were marks of heroism that will fund. More than $25,000 has al- at the University of Michigan.
go down in world history un- ready been raised in the sums
"It gives me pleasure to answer
matched in any other time or • he had asked for and in a num- your request, and recall a few
clime. her of smaller ones. People of things about Raoul as I knew
Then came the personal tragedy. all faiths participated in this him.
fund, which already assures the I "Raoul Wallenberg was so apt a
The Russians entered Budapest;
the Nazis were licked. On Jan. 15, ' lectureship
for five
years.
Prof. William
Haber,
Dean student in drawing and painting-
1945, Wallenberg and his Jewish '
1945,
must have had him in three or
chauffeur who assisted him in all Reginald F. Malcolmson of the U. four classes during his studies with
his efforts, Vilmos Langsfelder, of M. College of Architecture and
As
who shared his fate with him, were Design and several other alumni us—
he got all
nothing
but defi-
from that
I suppose
of us. He
apprehended in their home by have taken a deep interest in the Wifely did from me. I asked hint
Soviet soldiers and were taken into project.
finally if he were not intending to
the Wallenbergs actually were. I discussed him as a matter of
think most people here only vague- course. But Raoul leaned towards
ly knew about his family and its me in deadly earnest. "Ivor Krue-
, prestige. Raoul took his place in ger (I hope my spelling is correct)
the student-body as just another "is absolutely all right" he said.
bright and eager young student of "My family knows him well, and
architecture, and I happen to know I'd stake my honor on his honesty."
that he was very much liked by Two or three days later Ivor Krue-
both the girls and the men with ger was dead, a suicide, wasn't
whom he associated. He lived in he? and poor Raoul was crushed
a tiny frame house on Hill Street and morally disoriented. I think
here, so small that he occupied I saw him only once after that,
the only rented room in it, on the but of course we never referred
ground floor at the front. The to the episode.
"I was of course desolated and
house has since then been taken
shattered myself some years later
down.
"So competent a draughtsman when the news of his own tragic
was young Wallenberg end—and
e
of course his own heroic
and painter
that in his last class with me I efforts and achievements in behalf
of
his
people—came
out in the pub-
encouraged him to create a large
mural painting in pastel and cray- ' lie prints.
Raoul
Wallenberg
was, as I
"
on on the corridor wall across from
have said, one of the most admir-
my office on the 4th floor of the
Architecture building. He worked able and attractive students I have
days, maybe weeks, and ever known, and his warmly hu-
on it for
it was so good that I allowed it to man yet maturely wise attitude to
remain in place for perhaps a year everything he encountered still re-
or more. Prabably about 12x15 feet mains fresh in my memory."
in size, it contained some excel- I In another message to The
lent groupings of large figures in Jewish News' editor, Prof. George
full color, and had a true mural E. Brigham wrote:
or so it seemed to me. The I "Your letter, the enclosures and
feeling,
work was on heavy reddish-gray I Professor Slusser's letter vividly
building paper bought by the roll. revived memories of Raoul Wallen-
berg, including the hitch-hiking
In his last year at school Raoul experience.
treated himself to an adventurous
"Yes, Raoul was a most out-
hitch-hiker's trip across America standing student. I remember
to the Pacific Coast' and back. He clearly how he signed up for
traveled in old clothes and with 25 per cent more than the usual
only a small piece of luggage and college course and did outstanding
all went well, until on the last work in all of his subjects, and
leg of his journey, between Chi- he did this without ever having
cago and Ann Arbor. An evil dri- to study week ends.
ver, probably there were two in
"My memory of Raoul's college
the front seat, robbed him of his work is not as clear in detail as
spare cash and dumped him out Professor Slusser's, but I will
on the roadside somewhere this never forget his personality. He
side of Gary, Indiana, I think it visited in our home, and Mrs.
must have been. But Raoul loved Brigham still speaks of his warm,
custody. They were questioned forAn
entire
week's
program
is
planned
by
the
University
of
be
an
artist.
He
looked
at
me
slow-
every minute of the trip, and en- friendly and outgoing nature.
several days, were accused of es -
and, as I think of it now, per-
joyed this down-to-earth adventure
pionage, were taken into Russia, I Michigan's College of Architec- :1y
learn-
"During the war when we learn-
I haps a little sadly. He then ex-
ed of his fate in Hungary we were
and numerous conflicting reports ' ture and Design to introduce the pained to me briefly and with more than anything else.
have come from there about them' lectureship and the Wallenberg enormous modesty, too, who his
"I had lunch with Raoul whom I shocked, as were all who know
since then.
: honor. Dean Malcolmson said family were and how the sons of encountered by chance in the him. But we knew that all he had
USSR Foreign Minister Andrei that tentatively the week's ob•
Michigan
Union grill just a few done there was true to his wonder-
the house of Wallenberg were edu-
Gromyko had issued a statement' servance is planned for early cated. Only much later, when I days before the sensational col- fully human and outgoing nature.
in 1957 that Wallenberg died in March.
visited Stockholm—and with a let- lapse of the fortunes of the great "He made a unique contribution
Ljubjabskaya Prison, July 17, 1947.
Wallenberg's professors 'remin- ter of introduction to his mother Swedish match-king, Iver Krueger. to humanity which is hard to equal.
But reports by Krushchev and isced about him. Dr. Jean Paul (which, alas, I never used) in my The man had been pictured badly We who knew him will treasure
Vishinsky conflicted.
Slusser, one of his teachers, in a luggage—did I really discover who in the news of the day, and we his memory."
OP Family's Survival Attributed to Wallenberg
(Continued from Page 1)
in a big car and helped rescue , vast network that saw to the medi- we responded 'Ivri,' they protect- • that she merely heard about his
; heroism from others. But, at the
the crematoria. Her husband, who Jews." But the story as told in : cal and nutritional needs of thou- ed us."
.
In a DP camp for 31/2 years, the announcement that a lectureship
also lost most of his family, kept Arthur Morse's "While Six Million ' sands.
I 1 She credits Wallenberg and a Gelbermans were brought to this ! will be established in his name at
alive as a slave laborer digging Died," goes somewhat further.
The young University of Michi- : Zionist leader, Mihai Solomon, country by Gelberman's brother ' the University of Michigan, she
trenches outside Budapest.
here
where
Mrs.
Gelber:
gan
alumnus.
a
wealthy
and
culti-
It is
; with successfully duplicating 10,- Alex of New Castle, Pa. pledged to help as much as she
man's recollections of Wallenberg vated scion of Swedish society. 000 Swiss and Swedish papers Mrs. Gelberman admits that she can. "Next to God," she said, "I
begin. "On Nov. 3, 1944, hundreds was "motivated by a deep desire into 100,000 dummy permits. never actually saw Wallenberg, owe my life to Raoul Wallenberg."
of thousands of women had to to serve the Jews as a segment of These, together with 10.000 papers
.
,
.SCHIRIZEUSHIE 6041# 101441*
march, with t h e i r children. 20 humanity in distress," said one issued to slave laborers, ultimate-
ivijcA K . OVICTIIte
ABTIKLUNG TM YUMA IIRTERN•111•1
i
SODIM( IIIP•111L1ITII
miles from Budapest to a big foot- newspaper account of his exploits. ly saved 50.000 Jews, Mrs. Gelber-
A leader in the Swedish Red man estimates.
ASTVILIMG AUSTANDERIAM
ball field." There, the Germans
• alvaxposu.Asi CIIITAILY
V. VADASZ-VTCA S.
V.. VADLIZASTCA "
would sort them out for work as- Cross, Wallenberg had seen Nazi
With the permit. Mrs. Gelber-
;'.
signments, separating the wool,n brutality while on business trips man and her two children left the
q
4
from their children, who would be to Europe. He willingly accepted old apartment—"the superintend-
a diplomatic position as third sec-
1
"sent away."
But, • Mrs. Gelberman recalls. retary of the Swedish legation in an "international ghetto," a num-
assignment
of
ber
y199/1.x.itiV/311
there were too many to process. Budapest, with the
of rented houses set apart for
"A German with heart let me 4o organizing a special department the Jews in which they were
194»
1 °44" ,-1)4.-- nri ■ ---
............4 _.—. ...
■
and told me to come back t'le responsible for the protection and under
the protection of the em-
relief
of
Jews.
next da
day."
♦ 8,4.141 10•15•64. Idle444
blem overhead: Swiss, Swedish or
9 1.4114trwfbisbrIsch• Oes ■ a4t—.' j.
Wallenberg went to work print- Red Cross.
When she got home, the super-
, oseasel
400s.94.4104411ver treads Int•- !
visor of the building was as- ing a protective passport of his
, b•scistniwt ba•rutt. ' • zessetja, bows
In the rented apartment houses
bounded. "She told me not to own design with the Swedish in- —Morse says 32, Mrs. Gelberman
dass
...
for
I was supposed to return signia. The Swiss soon followed remembers 10—thousands of Jews
GaLBJIRgEIN Di72952
fro.. oiniali1./.Nr Dizs6
to the football field tomorrow. his example, and the Pope issued lived until liberation. Following
sz. JOZSd? RIAU&
-.
4.12. a0zsu daILL4.
2:: i avliti1 cm 00000 es (4•11•41143
If I forgot, she would remind the a few thousand of his own.
is 4014441 ****** 4•4 Ical•ktiv-,
two escapes from death, Gelber-
Gestapo."
Mrs. Gelberman considers the man joined his family in Novem-
ate 444 000 eler nnn •1111• 1.. ...
. ; %nil•villbos ******* 1 44 ost149
Poi,
ether
lit . .aireme I n isedia limo
lit air (411) 11: .:,
The woman wag cheated of her documents (her husband also was
Slalom s • t . d
ber 1944, • and they lived together
pleasure. The next day, a neigh- issued one following his escape
AlmisanzItzlisto ai . 114•41ts•r sines . • i'swab-sit lim e misdos ,„ft *pm
until Jan: 10. 1945. when they
94: .b• -
bor boy ran to Mrs. Gelberman from the work camp) among her
datillaZzp
.....„;
were liberated by the Russians.
with "the paper" — one of the most treasured possessions.
It was only one month after the
Bearing the emblem of the
fantastic homemade passports that
Fascists had entered one "inter-
.14644641 1044 411010001110194
.1.
gave between 50- and 100,000 Jews
Swiss consulate and printed in
.: 1h449419t. 113. obtob•r 1944.
national" house and murdered
Hungarian, the 10,000 Jews, many of them pro-
a ticket to life. under the - protec- German and
tion" of the Swedish and Swss papers entitle the bearer to the
minent.
governments.
"rights of citizenship" of that
Mrs. Gelberman recalled with
The boy's father had been pres- government.
emit when these protective pass-
Mrs. Gelberman said she had sonic irony that later, when she
returned
with Russian soldiers
ports were being issued to Buda- concealed some money before the
pest Jews, and he thought to ac- Nazi takeover and paid $5,000 for to her old apartment building to
This is a copy of the protective "passport" issued by the Swiss
quire one for Mrs. Gelberman the permit. but those who had no claim her belongings, "the super-
and her children. She never had cash received the document any- intendent was no longer a Ease-
government that saved the lives of Rena and David Gelberman and
Communist."
a
1st;
she
was
their two children in Budapest 25 years ago. Printed in German and
way. Any funds collected were
to return to the football field.
The Russians were a primitive Hungarian, the pass grants to the bearer the rights of citizenship of
She knows Wallenberg only as a used to defray the expenses of
man who "rode around Budapest Wallenberg's relief operation, a occupying army, "but there were the Swiss government. With similar passes issued by the Swedish
48—Friday, November 28, 1969
i many Jews among them. They government—thanks to Raoul Wallenberg—thousands of Jewish lives
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS ,wottld ask for us: 'Ivri? Ivri?' If . were saved.