Today -- the 57th anniversary of the disappearance in the former Soviet Union of the man whom the United Nations has called "the greatest humanitarian of the 20th century" -- is the first Raoul Wallenberg Commemorative Day. It recognizes one of only two honorary citizens of Canada (the second being Nelson Mandela).

This "Saint Just of the Nations," a Swedish, non-Jew who saved more Jews in the Second World War than did almost any single government, embodied the dictum that "whoever saves a single life, it is as if he or she saved the entire world." His acts showed that one person can make a difference.

- He granted prospective victims of the Nazis Swedish "schutzpasses" -- visas for life -- which gave immunity to the holders. Swiss, Portuguese, Spanish and Vatican legations followed his example and thousands of lives were saved.

- He established the "International Ghetto," where some 33,000 people were protected and saved.

- He organized hospitals, soup kitchens, child-care centres that provided women, children, the sick and the elderly with a semblance of human dignity.

- He rescued thousands in October 1944 when the Nazi puppet government in Hungary unleashed a wave of atro-cities. Wallenberg provided schutzpasses to literally remove victims from deportation trains and detention camps. In November, as thousands of Jews -- mainly women and children -- were sent on a 125-mile "death march," he followed, distributing food, medicine and the improvised "visas for life."

To the Jews, Wallenberg was the "Guardian Angel." For Ad-olph Eichman, the Nazi mass murderer in charge of the "Final Solution" in Hungary, he was "Judenhung Wallenberg" -- "the Jewish Dog Wallenberg."

His last rescue was the most memorable. Wallenberg warned Nazi generals they would be executed as war criminals if they carried out their threat to destroy the Budapest ghetto. General August Schmidhuber withdrew the order, and 70,000 Jews were saved.

Nazism almost succeeded not only because of its pathology of hate -- and industry of death -- but because of crimes of indifference, the conspiracies of silence. In our day, we have witnessed an appalling indifference to the unthinkable -- ethnic cleansing and genocide. It is our responsibility to shatter the walls of indifference, wherever they may be.

Raoul Wallenberg Day will have enduring resonance. We will be recognizing, teaching and inspiring Canadians about the unparalleled heroism of Canada's first honorary citizen who, in his singular protection of civilians in armed conflict, signified the best of international humanitarian law; who, in his singular organization of humanitarian relief, exemplified the best of humanitarian intervention; who, in his warning to Nazi generals that they would be held accountable for their crimes, foreshadowed the Nuremberg principles; and who, in having the courage to care and to act, showed that one person can confront evil, and transform history.

Irwin Cotler is MP for Mont Royal, and former chairman of the International Commission on the Fate and Whereabouts of Raoul Wallenberg.

(Copyright The Ottawa Citizen 2002)