On behalf of 200,000 Jews whose lives were saved by Rudolf Vrba, scholar and Rabbi Yosef Wosk provides the first clerical blessing at his grave since Kaddish was said in 2006. After the Blessing, included are comments from Vrba’s friend and colleague, Robert Krell, a child survivor and arguably Canada’s foremost Holocaust educator. While the video introduction states 100,000 Jews were saved by the Vrba-Wetzler Report, Sir Martin Gilbert, the Holocaust historian, upon further study upped that number to 200,000. It is also the figure now quoted by Wikipedia, to reflect the current consensus of historians.

In this video, Rabbi Yosef Wosk explains the meaning of a number of the sacred items that he brought with him to the Blessing.

Next: THE BURIAL