Life Must Go on: The Remarkable Story of Sol Lurie, the Kovno Ghetto, and the Tragic Fate of Lithuania's Jews

The remarkable story of Sol Lurie, a child survivor of six concentration camps during the Holocaust, who continues to be a beacon of hope.

After a bucolic childhood in Kovno, Lithuania, Sol was just eleven when the Nazis invaded and he and his family were forced to move into the Kovno Ghetto. The Kovno Ghetto was one of the only ghettos to later become a concentration camp, and Sol was among just a few Jewish survivors from Kovno.

In this inspiring story of tenacity, character, faith, love, and forgiveness, we follow young Sol through heartbreak and fear, torment and torture. Through Sol's eyes, we learn the history of the communities in Eastern Europe, especially Lithuania, which has long been a gap in the wider history of the Holocaust. Along the way, we meet the righteous few who helped save young Sol's life. After being imprisoned in five other concentration camps for a total of four years, Sol was liberated from Buchenwald on his fifteenth birthday. To this day, he still joyfully celebrates every year the day he was born and liberated.

Despite the horrors of youth, Sol never lost his determination to live life to the fullest. He embarked on a new life in the United States and would thrive as a husband, father, grandfather, business owner, and an inspiration for the thousands who have heard Sol share his incredible story--and the lessons he has to share.

We can all learn from Sol at a time when divisiveness reigns. Despite all that he suffered and all those he lost, Sol's courage and positive attitude continues to inspire as he actively seeks out and sees the good in others. He wholeheartedly believes in bashert, a Yiddish word that means "destiny," which gave him his "mission to educate others to love, not to hate." Life Must Go On is a moving and vital new addition to the history of the Holocaust and the chorus of survivor stories that resonate throughout the generations.

Author: Bea Lurie,Steven Leonard Jacobs
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 06/03/2025
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.96lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.39w x 0.76d
ISBN: 9781639369294


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2025
Publishers Weekly 05/26/2025

About the Author
Bea Lurie is the daughter of two child Holocaust survivors, her father, Sol, and her mother, Evelyn Rebecca Lurie, whose parents escaped from Poland with two toddlers. Bea learned by her parents' actions the importance of helping those in need and devoted her career to making a difference in the lives of others as a leader of nonprofit organizations and government agencies, and as an owner of two businesses. Bea also is an active volunteer in her community and at her local synagogue.

Dr. Steven Leonard Jacobs is the child of a Holocaust survivor. He is a noted Holocaust and genocide scholar and the author of nearly forty books. Dr. Jacobs is a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at University of Alabama and Emeritus Aaron Aronov Chair of Judaic Studies.