Leaders of the U.S. House and Senate posthumously presented a Congressional Gold Medal to Raoul Wallenberg in honor of his heroism during the Holocaust.
The ceremony will took place on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 at 3:00 pm ET in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), participated along with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award the United States Congress can bestow. It was presented pursuant to H.R. 3001, which details how Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat, saved the lives of nearly 100,000 Hungarian Jews.