photo courtesy of Yad Vashem

On May 11th, Righteous Among the Nations Ivan Vranetic met Pope Benedict XVI at the Yad Vashem Hall of Remembrance in Jerusalem.

A Catholic born in Yugoslavia, at the age of 17, Ivan saved the lives of over 20 Jews in his home town. In 1963 he moved to Israel and in 1970 was honored by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance as a Righteous Among the Nations for his part in saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Ivan serves as the chairman of the Organization of the Righteous Among the Nations in Israel.

ATZUM is in touch with Ivan on a daily basis, visits him regularly and has catered to a variety of his needs. When speaking to groups about Righteous Among the Nations, ATZUM always shares Ivan’s story as a sample of true heroism and inspiration.

Upon meeting the Pope this week in Jerusalem, Ivan stated that he was deeply moved and honored by the opportunity to meet the pontiff.  He added, “I want the Pope to bring peace to the world. I have always wanted peace all my life. That is why I did what I did.”

Ivan was only a teenager when he put his life on the line to save the lives of escaped Jews who had found their way to his town. Ivan was rarity in a town that largely supported the Nazi-allied militia. Ivan found hiding places for these Jewish escapees as well as securing for them food and other necessary items.

For many years Ivan remained in contact with the holocaust survivors that he rescued. Included in these contacts was a woman that he rescued. He eventually married her in Israel 20 years after the war.

Ivan says that it is hard to understand what it was like during the Holocaust years for someone who didn’t live through that time. He remains greatly disturbed that so much racisim still exists in the world.

When asked what made him risk his life to save others, he cited the upbringing his parents gave him. He was not just driven by a religious obligation to do the right thing, “it was something else”, Ivan explains.