Richard Wurmbrand - a brief biography by Michelle Buckman

Richard Wurmbrand (1909–2001) was born to a Jewish family in Bucharest, Romania.  In 1936, he married Sabina Oster and in 1938 they placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

During World War II, Richard and Sabina preached in bomb shelters and rescued Jewish children out of the ghettos. They were repeatedly arrested and beaten and, at least once, nearly executed. Sabina lost her Jewish family in Nazi concentration camps.

In 1945, when Romanian Communists seized power, Richard and Sabina attended a congress where many religious leaders praised Communism and swore loyalty to the new regime. Richard declared to the delegates, and to the whole nation, that their duty was to glorify God and Christ alone.

On Feb. 29, 1948, the secret police kidnapped Richard.  In 1950, his wife, Sabina, was also imprisoned leaving their 9-year-old son, Mihai, alone and homeless.  Sabina was released after three years, and Richard was also later released, only to be re-arrested and then released in an amnesty in 1964.

In December 1965, two organizations paid a ransom to allow the Wurmbrand family to leave Romania for Norway and then on to England.  Richard began his ministry as a voice for persecuted Christians to the West, where he also wrote "Tortured for Christ", the story of his time in prison.

Recorded June 24, 2018