PHOTOS: Representatives Gregory Meeks and Nan Hayworth, the original co-sponsors of the legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Raoul Wallenberg have announced that over 300 members of the House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors allowing Speaker Boehner to bring the legislation to a vote on floor of the House of Representatives. This will serve in honor of the annual days of remembrance which takes place in the Rotunda of the US Capitol.

“The significance of this milestone is indeed historic as it confirms the enormous support that the legislation enjoys and which could not have happened without the leadership and commitment of Representatives Meeks and Hayworth and for that the world will be most grateful”, said Ezra Friedlander, CEO of The Friedlander Group, who established the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Commission.

“During this year’s Days of Remembrance we honor Raoul Wallenberg, whose courage saved tens of thousands of Jewish lives at a time when the machinery of a diabolical government was determined to destroy them and all those who stood in defiance”, said Congresswoman Nan Hayworh who worked tirelessly to secure the support of her colleagues together with Congressman Gregory Meeks. “Mr. Wallenberg lives on today in a million descendants of the people he saved, and he richly deserves the honor of a Congressional Gold Medal. It’s a privilege to be a lead sponsor of this legislation together with Congressman Meeks, and to have such strong support from our colleagues in the House.”

Congressman Meeks stated: “I am extremely pleased that over 300 Members of Congress have now agreed to cosponsor the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act. This will allow us to award one of the highest civilian honors of the United States, the Congressional Medal of Honor, to an individual who risked and eventually lost his life to save Hungarian Jews from the Nazis. I also hope that we can use the Centennial of Mr. Wallenberg’s birth to finally shed light on the circumstances of his death. I am very proud of the bipartisan support and pleased to have worked with Representative Nan Hayworth to get to this point. I also want to acknowledge The Friedlander Group for being instrumental in this effort, and for the support we have received from the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Federations of America, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the Lantos Foundation, in reaching out to Members of Congress to educate them about this legislation.”

A Congressional Gold Medal requires two thirds of both the House and Senate to co-sponsor the legislation before it is allowed to be voted upon, hence the broad consensus required in addition to the hard work required to acquire co-sponsors for the actual bill to become law and then awarded. “That is why Raoul Wallenberg is so deserving”, said Peter Rebenwurzel and Leon Goldenberg who serve on the board of the Wallenberg Commission and whose families were among the 100,000 Jews saved by Wallenberg during the Holocaust.

The House bill is expected to be brought to a vote by Speaker of House John Boehner voted on after the Congressional recess in mid April in honor of the annual days of Remembrance which is organized annually by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Council and hosted by the Congress of the United States. Wallenberg Board Member Sidney Greenberger announced that the efforts will now focus on Senate side where 66 co–sponsors are required in order for a vote on the Senate floor–there are currently 25 Senate-co-sponsors.

Flushing Bank is a corporate sponsor of the educational activities of the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Commission. TLS.