Rest in Peace, Professor Librescu

By: Lowell
Published On: 4/20/2007 1:36:06 PM

He survived the Nazi Holocaust, only to die on Monday at Virginia Tech, blocking the door to his classroom, allowing students to escape by jumping out the windows.  Now, Professor Liviu Librescu rests in peace in Israel, having been awarded the Order of the Star of Romania (his native country) and having been eulogized by his wife and sons:

The professor's wife, Marlena Librescu, arrived with Israeli consular officials. She was greeted with bear hugs from strangers who praised her husband's bravery.

Although she was initially composed, she broke down as someone handed her her husband's golden wedding band - 42 years after their marriage.
"He saved them. He saved them," she said quietly of her husband's students as she slipped the band on her finger, next to her own.

Yes, he did save them. And for that, he will always be a hero. Rest in peace, Professor Librescu.  Rest in peace.

Comments



Lecture series to honor Librescu (mkfox - 4/20/2007 4:12:58 PM)
The National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education announced the sponsorship of the Dr. Liviu Librescu Memorial Lecture Series, which will examine the nature of self-sacrifice, particularly as demonstrated throughout the Holocaust.

http://www.tricities...



Professor Liviu Librescu (Greg Kane - 4/20/2007 7:38:57 PM)
When I think of the tragedy at Virginia Tech I don't spend time thinking about the killer or his message of hate, hopelessness and failure. I think about the unfulfilled promise of innocents and our need to remember them.

I also think about Liviu Librescu. Professor Librescu was a holocaust survivor and understood the consequences of mindless hatred and the preciousness of life. Professor Librescu put himself between the deranged killer and his students so that they could survive, and they did. He did not.

Few of us will be called upon to do a "great thing" like Liviu Librescu did for his students. In sacrificing his life for others Liviu Librescu reminds us all of our own humanity and our obligation to one another.

All of us face challenges every day. Few of us meet them with the courage and compassion of Liviu Librescu. If he can do this "great thing" surely I can face my small challenges with a little more compassion, understanding and sacrifice than I usually do.

Who knows, perhaps I'll come across someone cut off from the rest of us and tell him about Liviu Librescu and that real sacrifice is far more powerful and enduring than retribution is. Perhaps you will and you will change the course of events and we will never know to thank you.

Thank you Liviu Librescu for reminding me of who I am.

Greg Kane



the professor is more important than you think (pvogel - 4/20/2007 9:33:19 PM)
His actions, which will surely go down as the Best of 2007 , "if not the last ten years"

They are key to understanding how we can avoid 32  fatalities. We need to teach all folks, even  young ones, to do tWhat he did {if its possible}

I know it will be very hard to do, But  this  "plus smaller bullet clips", can save lives.



Professor Librescu (devorah - 4/21/2007 10:47:07 AM)

Professor Librescu was a man with great courage; he, indeed, understood evil and its personification when faced with it.  And he knew exactly how to combat it, with courage and goodness.  He is a giant in a world of filled with cowards. 

Esther 4:14 "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Deborah