Celebrating Raoul Wallenberg “One person can make a difference.” Raoul Wallenberg
Mayor Michael A. Soriano
Celebrating our community each and every day is one of my greatest joys as Mayor. It is part of my job to revel in the histories and cultures that weave the marvelous tapestry of our township. And yet it is precisely because of our new reality that 2020 has been such a challenging time. COVID-19 has made us all re-imagine our annual festivities, hoping to offer the attention and importance these events deserve in the midst of ever-changing conditions. Our days of joy, reflection, and shared memories have continued to be limited in scope to mitigate risk to one another. But just because the way we celebrate has changed, does not mean the meaning and importance of our celebrations must change as well. Even in this socially distant time, we know that our togetherness, our community, and our history makes us special, and what makes Parsippany the wonderful place we call home. On Sunday, October 25, beginning at 1:00 p.m., we will revisit our Township’s annual commemoration of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Jewish people from Nazi-occupied Hungary during the holocaust and later stages of World War II. We will honor the day and Mr. Wallenberg with a video presentation on the Township website, social media pages, as well as Public Access Channel 21, with the 6 l Parsippany Focus Magazine
assistance of Parsippany’s Video-On-The-Go. Similar to how we presented this year’s 9/11 Commemoration, Memorial Day Ceremony, and Indian Independence Celebration, this year’s Raoul Wallenberg Commemoration will feature video messages from various civic and religious leaders from our Township. We will also hear from Sarah Scheller, the Secretary General of the Raoul Wallenberg Academy in Stockholm Sweden, an educational think tank devoted to continuing to share the message and actions of Raoul Wallenberg. We will also hear from Annika Rembe, the Consul General of Sweden in New York City, on the theme of Raoul Wallenberg, the favorite son of Sweden. In these challenging times, we must reflect on the unspeakable horrors inflicted on millions at the hands of pure evil. The celebration of Raoul Wallenberg is as important now as ever, as we remember that goodness will always triumph over evil, and love continues to prevail. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Raoul Wallenberg and his enduring legacy on October 25, and always, as we remember his message that one person can truly make a difference in this world.
www.parsippanyfocus.news
October 2020