The Wallenberg medal awarded to Nissim
Gariwo’s founder and current president, Gabriele Nissim has been awarded with the Raoul Wallenberg medal. By recognizing the recipient’s exceptional moral character, such a highly symbolic prize honours the memory of the Swedish diplomat to whom the Foundation is dedicated.
During the Holocaust, Raoul Wallenberg saved thousands of Jews and others who were being persecuted in Hungary at that time. Following his example, the Foundation develops educational programs and awareness campaigns that are based on the values of solidarity and civic courage, ethical cornerstones of the saviours of the Holocaust.
In an official letter to Nissim, the foundation’s founder Baruch Tenenbaun explained that the board’s choice fell on Nissim for his “tireless commitment to the humanitarian cause in the role of president of Gariwo, the Garden of the Righteous Worldwide an organization devoted to upholding and divulging the stories and deeds of those individuals who have contributed to humanity’s moral enhancement”.
“I am proud of this international recognition for Gariwo’s activity. Wallenberg Foundation works on the same issues as we do, in which it is the responsibility of individuals to prevent genocides and any form of hatred against minorities, starting from antisemitism. In today’s dangerous world, it is important more than ever that we stand united in defending these values. For this reason, I wish that there will be an even stronger collaboration between Gariwo and the Wallenberg Foundation in the near future.”
The Foundation also recalled some of the most important campaigns that Nissim, together with Gariwo, carried out, such as the proposal for the institution of a Day of the Righteous – approved by the European Parliament in 2012 and by the Italian Parliament in 2017.