Holocaust educator Peter Gary dead at 93

Vancouver Island Holocaust educator Peter Gary died on Sunday, his family reported. He was 93 years old.

Despite the sad news, the family saysitreceived a $36,000 donation, Monday, that will allow the fulfillment of Gary's lifelong dream: to see the Holocaust oratorio he had been working on for decades staged in Israel for its inaugural performance.

Just last week, Gary's wife Judy Estrintold CBC News that after raising $30,000 she was working "on faith" to raise therest and make it happen in order tofulfill her dying husband's wish a promise she made to him morethan nine years ago when they were married.

The donation, which provided the rest of the money she needed, came from the Azrieli Foundation, a charitable foundation that supports, among other things, Holocaust commemoration and education.

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Estrin, said she was grateful for the donation, which she called "a miracle."

Spoke to tens of thousands of students

Gary's death came after he spent over a month in hospital receiving blood transfusions.

Gary had spent 23 years of his life speaking to tens of thousands of students on Vancouver Island about the horrors of the Holocaust, which he experienced first-hand, surviving three Nazi concentration camps. He gave his last talk to students in November 2015.

Gary's oratorio,A 20th Century Passion, was something he had worked on since the 1970s to tell his story and honour children murdered by the Nazis.

A 20th Century Passion is scheduled to be performed in Jerusalem on Oct. 17. Conductor Barak Tal will lead the performance.

With files from Robyn Burns