Oldest Holocaust Survivor in Israel, Yehuda Vydavsky, Dies at 107

Yehuda Aharon Vydavsky, recognized as the oldest Holocaust survivor living in Israel, passed away during the recent holiday at the age of 107. Vydavsky dedicated his later years to locating and restoring Jewish cemeteries in Poland, leaving behind a significant legacy of remembrance.

His post-Holocaust work began in 1978 when he traveled to Poland seeking his grandmother's grave. Shocked by the neglected state of the Lodz cemetery, he approached the local municipality, gained access to archives, and started mapping burial plots. These cemeteries contained the remains of approximately 50,000 Jews from the ghetto era and an estimated 200,000 throughout history. Through his efforts, tombstones were identified and erected for over 3,000 graves.

In the town of Sochaczew, Vydavsky located the graves of the rabbis Avraham Bornstein and Shmuel Bornstein, constructing a memorial structure over them. He also worked to restore the memorial for Rabbi Israel Taub, the first Modzhitz Hasidic rebbe. Vydavsky became a central figure for those searching for graves and family history, and in 2012, he was honored by lighting a memorial torch at Yad Vashem.

Vydavsky was born in 1919 in Turek, Poland. He survived the Lodz Ghetto with his family until August 1944, when they were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. His parents, older brother Gabriel, younger brother Chaim Moshe, and sister Yocheved perished in various concentration camps. Only he and his brother Yehoshua survived the selection process. After the war, he returned to Lodz, married fellow survivor Dabrish Wassertzug, and they later immigrated to Israel in 1950.

President Isaac Herzog eulogized Vydavsky, stating, "His life was a wondrous testament to the victory of life." Herzog recalled hosting Vydavsky at the President's Residence, where he was moved by Vydavsky's story and his commitment to restoring Jewish heritage in Poland. Vydavsky believed his revenge against the Nazis was their ultimate loss and the existence of the State of Israel.