Liviu Librescu, 76, survived the Holocaust and the Romanian regime of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, only to die while protecting the lives of his students during the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech.
In an unselfish act of heroism, Professor Librescu “pressed himself against the door of the classroom while shots were fired in the corridor and surrounding rooms. He stood firm, attempting to barricade the door, while his students clambered out of the windows.” Everyone in the room survived but him. Librescu died on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Words cannot express how I feel. I can only post the words to the Mourner’s Kaddish, the prayer that Jews say in memory of the dead:
Exalted and hallowed be His great Name throughout the world, which He has created according to His Will. May He establish His kingship, bring forth His redemption, and hasten the coming of His Messiah.
In your lifetime and in your days and in the lifetime of the entire House of Israel, sword, famine and death shall cease from us and from the entire Jewish nation, speedily and soon, and we say, Amein.
May His great Name be blessed forever and to all eternity. Blessed and praised, glorified, exalted and extolled, honored, adored and lauded be the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He beyond all the blessings, hymns, praises and consolations that are uttered in the world, and we say Amein. May there be abundant peace from heaven, and a good life for us and for all Israel, and we say, Amein.
He Who makes peace in His heavens, may He make peace for us and for all Israel, and we say Amein.
Elsewhere: Wikipedia’s entry on Librescu is here. The Librescu Family’s condolence page is here. Virginia Tech’s faculty profile of Librescu is here.
