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Biography of Richard WurmbrandBiografía de Richard Wurmbrand

Richard Wurmbrand was a Lutheran evangelical shepherd of Jewish origin who was born in 1909 in Romania. When the communists took his native ground in 1945, he became a leader of the church in the secrecy.

In 1948, him and his wife, Sabina, they were brave. Prisoner happened 14 years in the communist jails, including 3 years isolated in an underground cell, without being able to see the sun, the stars, not the flowers. Only it saw his guards and tormentors.

The Christian friends in Norway bought his freedom for u$s 10,000 in 1964.
The shepherd Wurmbrand is the Founder of the International organization “THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS” which helped Christians chased in communist countries, for more than 25 years. His innumerable literary works written in several languages are a sample of a life dedicated completely to the service of God and of his full conviction of love to the neighbor.

Richard Wurmbrand, was born being the minor of 4 children in a Jewish family in Bucharest, Romania, on March 24, 1909. Part of his childhood happened in Istanbul, Turkey where his father would settle like an out-standing dentist.

After the death of this one for a flu epidemic in 1919, the family fell down in the poverty must return to Romania. Richard, talented, intellectual, expert in 9 languages, had a stormy youth. It took part actively in the leftist politics.

In 1936, he married Sabina. After it, Richard and Sabina turned Christ in 1938, across the message of a German carpenter of surname Wolfkes. The Jewish couple knew it during a few holidays in the mountains of Romania, who put a Bible in his hands.

Without having any education, this carpenter did not do much any more that to drive to this two young people, polite, intellectual Jewish, to take time and to read at least one of the Gospels, an extract of a short biography of the most famous personality of the persons Judía, “Jesus Christ“.

Sabina and Richard knowing other Jewish Christians turned and they were baptized. They founded the Anglican Mission Mission to the Jews in Bucharest. Richard was arranged as Anglican. Then, finished the Second World war the Lutheran minister was rearranged.

His only son, Michael was born in 1939. Due to the declaration of war of Romania against England and powerful others of the West, many ministers Anglicanos had to leave Romania. The Rev. Richard Wurmbrand and his wife Sabina, without thinking about family or possessions continued without fear his Christian missionary work.

They worked arduously helping to escape from numerous Jews, preached every day in the refuges for the bombs, and underground Christians ended arrested several times for susactividades during a state of war.

At least once they were in hours of being executed by a military court of Romania.
The Wurmbrand loved and respected by many orthodox Christian personalities, escaped only across the intervention of the publishing chief of the principal newspaper of this time.

The relatives of Sabina, two sisters and a brother perished massacred by Nazi. Also he was dead for Rumanian legionaries Nazi, Isaac Feinstein, an influential Christian missionary for the Jews, who was fundamental in the conversion of the Wurmbrand.

His lives during this period were described in the Book of Wurmbrand, “Christ in the Jewish way.”

In the short period from from the end of the Second World war up to the transformation of Romania in the communist state (1945-1949), the Rev. Wurmbrand printed and organized the distribution of a million Gospels, in Russian language, destined for the Russian troops that occupied Romania.

The pastoreó a Church of 1,000 members, the majority turned Jews. In February, 1948 the Rev. Richard who was provided with Swedish diplomatic protection, was kidnapped by the communist government and he disappeared in the direction of the shaded communist prisons.

In preparation for a short judgment a secret name was kept low for almost 3 years, in a solitary cell, under tortures to make it confess imaginary crimes.

It remained for 14 years in communist prisons in two periods, 1948-1956 and 1959-1964. His wife Sabina was imprisoned also in a slaves' field for 3 years.

In 1964, a group of Norwegian Christians assembled u$ 10.000 and the communist government paid it to the communist government by way of rescue. His books “Tortured by Christ” and “God's Underground“, describe everything in detail.

The Wurmbrand came to Olso, Norway in December, 1965 and without understanding the language, visited in his first Sunday at large the American Lutheran Church.
Impressed by the cult freedom, they cried during the whole service.

Myrus Knutson, the minister of the Church, for deep compassion, opened his house generously to the refugee family while he was negotiating, across the Embassy of the United States, with in order that this government guarantees his safety certify the veracity of the history of these refugees, his suffering and tortures.
His contacts answered: "completely reliable”.

Like that was that the Rev. Richard Wurmbrand was invited to speak in the biggest meeting in Oslo. The meeting was opened for the questions:

They askedPreguntaron
- Because the debía to try to coexist with the communism? - Always sincere Wurmbrand in his behavior, slowly moved away from the podium, snatched the wallet of a colonel of his pocket, and said:

- I took his money, it is in my pocket. Let's coexist! -

The respondió that, obviously, the communism wants to coexist once it has occupied half of the world. There must be no solution for the cancer but nobody has decided to coexist with the cancer and this way an accommodation with the communism is not possible. Every thief would like coexisting with the police, but this is unacceptable.

Colonel Sturdy got up of his place and said, “Gentlemen, we are going to send this man to America, so that it snatches the wallets of all the leftists and they open his eyes”.

A collection was made there the same and to the Rev. Wurmbrand organized an itinerary of one month to speak in the East of the United States. It came to New York and immediately it did a return schedule for lack of success. It went to Philadelphia to visit to the friendly only one that knew, the Christian Jewish minister.

This minister discouraged it of trying to stay in the E.U., because it was very old and weak to shepherd after a Church, and, “you might be capable of doing a salary to you” there were his final words.

He asked the minister if it might teach him a little more of Philadelphia. This happened.

It happened that while the Rev. Richard was walking along the street, it crossed with the biggest declaration opposite to the American intervention in Vietnam. Richard and his friend stopped to listen for curiosity. Six minutes later, Richard was direct to the microphone saying:

- you do not know anything about the communism, I am a Doctor of communism. You should be of the side of the victims of the communism instead of defending his tortures-.

- How can you be a Doctor of communism? - it was the sarcastic answer.
- Here are my credentials, answered Wurmbrand, taking his shirt from him and showing the scars of the deep tortures in his torso.

The police removed Wurmbrand asking him to dress itself. This was sufficient so that persons of the newspapers were taking dramatic pictures and were asking for interviews.

The following day in almost all the newspapers of the E.U., on the first page, there were photos of the minister who showed his torture scars and they looked for interviews, and this way Richard Wurmbrand had to postpone his return for month and a half. The tuvo to be turned for three more months to keep on speaking.

In May, 1966 he testified before the Internal Subcommittee of Safety of the Senate of the E.U.

His testimony became more popular in the following three years.
Together with the family he emigrated to the United States in November, 1966.
Once in the United States the family Wurmbrand began the department “Christian Missions for the communist world”, in the present “The Voice of the Martyrs, Inc”, a world organization that takes as his principal target to help the Christians chased by communist systems, to evangelize leftists and to give them support.

After the fall of the communism in Russia, the mission intensified his work in Arab countries and in all those places of harassment and oppression to the Christians because of his faith. The activities of the organization and the Rev. Wurmbrand speaking in many countries brought the attention of the world.

The Wurmbrand message was always: Hate the systems of the devil, but amen to the pursuers and try to gain them to the Christianity.

Of deep and sharp thought they give him a warm personality. His principal topic, help all, and him give to all who go so far as to ask for you (…) you even can help or give to them only a little.

Christian leaders about the world have called it a living martyr.

The Rev. Wurmbrand spoke practically in most of the countries of the free world, and he was in several influential televisoras.

An example might be one amazing hour and a half talking with the atheist Madelaine Murray O'Hare, whom it made literally mute.
Wurmbrand, who was not initially invited to the interview asked for the word:
- I have traveled across the world and seen many works charitable like Christian hospitals, Jewish orphan-asylums, up to houses Buddhists for patients. Might you to give me an example of some atheistic charitable establishment? -
Mademoiselle. O'Hare did silence in 3 minutes. The moderator invited the Rev. Wurmbrand to be a part of the debate. “It did not please O'Hare for anything as the video remained published.

Many of his theological writings, written in the communist prisons, still today remain unknown. Otroa has been translated and wait for publication. Few of his sermons appeared like “Messages in solitary committal”.

Continuously traveling and speaking, spent his 85 years, in the last five years of his life, the Rev. Wurmbrand was confined in his bed, with a severe neuropathy, consequence of the terrible 3 years of solitary committal, where it was forced to spend endless standing hours.

Richard Wurmbrand died in Torrance, California on February 17, 2001. His wife Sabina had died on August 11, 2000.
They are survived by his son Michael and his immense legacy.

Source: The Voice of MartyrsFuente: The Voice of Martyrs