The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission continues its online Courageous Conversation speaker series on Monday, January 18, 2021, at 10:00 AM.

The Courageous Conversation will be A Tribute to Raoul Wallenberg.

Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat whose courage and selfless determination helped save tens of thousands of Jewish lives in Nazi-occupied Hungary. Called “the greatest humanitarian of the 20th Century” by the United Nations, Wallenberg was a ray of light during the darkest hours of the Holocaust. He risked his life to issue special Swedish passports that granted Jewish people in Budapest diplomatic immunity and saved them from being deported to concentration camps. He also created a network of safe havens that offered shelter and protection to those fleeing persecution.

While Wallenberg rescued so many, he himself was not saved. On January 17, 1945 he disappeared after being captured by Soviet forces. In 2001, the Government of Canada declared January 17 “Raoul Wallenberg Day” to commemorate the date of his capture and the heroic actions of this remarkable man.

The speakers for this event are Ambassador Urban Ahlin and Heather Fenyes.

Urban Ahlin is the Ambassador of Sweden to Canada, since February 2019. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, Ahlin was a politician, representing the Swedish Social Democratic Party. From 2014 to 2018, Urban Ahlin held the position of Speaker of the Swedish Parliament (Riksdagen). He was a Member of Parliament 1994-2018, and a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, as chair 2002-2006 and deputy chair 2006-2014. Ambassador Ahlin was also a founding member of the first pan-European think-tank, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).  He is a teacher and graduated from the University of Karlstad with a Master of Science in education.

Heather Fenyes is a dedicated community builder who tirelessly facilitates conversations on topics such as racism and reconciliation designed to ensure that all voices and perspectives are heard. She has committed herself, her time, and her energies to designing, promoting, and implementing programs and educational opportunities for both adults and children that aim to eliminate racism and foster civics and social responsibility. Heather is the past president of the Congregation Agudas Israel Synagogue, a co-founder of Think Good. Do Good, and a member of the Concentus Citizenship Education Foundation Board of Directors. Heather also serves on a number of national boards including: the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the Jerusalem Foundation, and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.

Attendees are encouraged to email questions in advance of the Courageous Conversation. If you have a question you would like to ask,  send them to [email protected].

Please RSVP via email to [email protected] by Saturday, January 16. Once you have registered, a Webex link to the event will be emailed to you.

Event Information:

Event address for attendees:	https://skgov.webex.com/skgov/onstage/g.php?MTID=e0bc2b0e02363c2e520f4026c5e629d07
Date and time:	Monday, January 18, 2021 10:00 am Central Time (Saskatchewan, GMT-06:00)
Duration:	1 hour