Holocaust Survivor Yehuda Vidavsky, Israel's Oldest, Dies at 107

Yehuda Aharon Vidavsky, believed to be the oldest Holocaust survivor in Israel, has died at the age of 107. Born in Turek, Poland, in the summer of 1919, Vidavsky's life spanned much of 20th-century Jewish history, from the horrors of the Holocaust to the establishment of the State of Israel.

Vidavsky and his family were confined to the Lodz Ghetto in 1940, where they worked in a textile factory. In August 1944, during the liquidation of the ghetto, Vidavsky, his parents, and four siblings were deported to Auschwitz. His parents, Abraham and Dobrish Lea, and his older brother Gabriel were murdered upon arrival. His sister, Yocheved, died in Stutthof, and his brother, Chaim Moshe, perished in Buchenwald. Yehuda and his brother Yehoshua survived forced labor, later being transferred to a facility near Gross-Rosen, where they worked until the Red Army's arrival in May 1945.

After liberation, Vidavsky returned to Lodz, remarried, and reopened the textile business. He also assisted in smuggling weapons for the Irgun (Etzel) underground organization. In 1950, he immigrated to Israel and settled in Tel Aviv.

Later in life, Vidavsky dedicated himself to memorializing Holocaust victims and restoring Jewish cemeteries in Poland. His efforts led to the identification of over 3,000 graves and the restoration of more than 7,000 tombstones, including those of important Hasidic leaders, at the historic cemetery in Lodz.

In recognition of his contributions, Vidavsky was honored with lighting a memorial torch at the Yad Vashem ceremony in 2012. Celebrating his 100th birthday in 2019, he stated that building a new family and living peacefully in Israel was his greatest victory over the Nazi regime. His passing marks the end of a life that bore witness to immense tragedy and resilience.