On Sunday, October 26, more than 200 people gathered in the chapel at Schara Tzedeck Cemetery to pay tribute to one of our community’s most extraordinary yet under-recognized figures: Rudolf Vrba. His escape from Auschwitz in April 1944 and subsequent testimony are credited with helping to save hundreds of thousands of Jewish lives.

The ceremony featured reflections on Vrba’s life by founding VHEC President Dr. Robert Krell and long-time advocate Dr. Joseph Ragaz, who together led the commemoration. After moving words in the chapel, the gathering proceeded outside to the newly erected monument.

Al Szajman, VHEC president, and Dr.  Krell removed the covering from the monument to reveal the inscription honouring Vrba’s life and legacy, including the words, “The long-time Vancouverite we know as Rudi,” underscoring the humility of a man whose bravery was anything but ordinary. Attendees then placed rocks atop the monument as a sign of respect and remembrance.

Although Rudolf Vrba maintained a significant academic career at the University of British Columbia, living quietly in Vancouver with his wife, Robin, until he died in 2006, the magnitude of his heroic actions during the Holocaust remained largely unrecognized in his adopted city.

During the ceremony, Dr. Krell asked, “Why do so few know his name?” He cited historian Sir. Martin Gilbert’s assertion that Vrba was directly responsible for saving at least 100,000 Jewish lives. Others now credit him with the preservation of as many as 200,000 Hungarian Jews.

At just 19 years old, Rudolf Vrba and fellow Slovak Jew Alfréd Wetzler escaped from Auschwitz after hiding in a woodpile for three days, then trekked on foot to Slovakia. From there, they helped produce a detailed report—known as the Vrba–Wetzler Report or the Auschwitz Protocols—which reached the Red Cross, the Vatican, the World Jewish Congress and the US president, forcing the Hungarian Regent to halt the deportations of Jews in July 1944.

Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt of Schara Tzedeck spoke of Vrba’s heroism: “He did not escape from Auschwitz simply to save his own skin,” said the rabbi. “He escaped from Auschwitz to save Hungarian Jewry. He escaped from Auschwitz to warn the world.”

VHEC Executive Director Hannah Mazarri added, “I am struck anew by how singular his legacy was, how young he was, how hard he fought to bring the truth to the world,” she said.

The monument, erected in collaboration between VHEC, the Schara Tzedeck Cemetery Board and a dedicated committee of volunteers, is located in a section of the cemetery not yet open for burials, ensuring future visitors will pass by and reflect on Vrba’s heroism.

As historian Professor Chris Friedrichs remarked, “What we do today is overdue, but it is not too late,” he said. “As we watch the monument being unveiled, and if we gently lay some stones upon it, we will be paying a debt of gratitude to someone who is not only a hero of the twentieth century, but should continue to be an inspiration for the twenty-first.”

For further information on Vrba’s life, the monument and VHEC programming, please contact info@vhec.org.