Daughter shares Holocaust survivor’s story in new memoir

Laura Soldinger Yotter, along with her father Samuel Soldinger, co-authored a book together about her father’s harrowing ordeal and ultimate resilience in surviving seven Holocaust camps during World War II before being liberated and eventually making his way to Arizona, where he worked as a diamond cutter.

The book, “Death and Diamonds” is out now, and Laura Soldinger joined Arizona Horizon to tell us about the book. Though Soldinger passed away before the book’s publication, Laura is committed to preserving her father’s memory.

“I wanted to know when I was younger, but you know, of course, he never shared those stories with me because I was too young. But as I grew older, he did share stories with me, he always felt that was very important for me to understand,” Laura shared.

The stories within “Death and Dying” are not easy to digest, but are reminders of the resilience of the human spirit.

One story recounts her father’s time in a factory, where he found refuge under the protection of Oskar Schindler.

“He loved it, he thought it really really depicted the true story of what happened,” Laura reflects, speaking of Schindler’s List. “And of course, it was a Hollywood movie, so there were some parts that weren’t realistic, but for the most part… it was exactly what he’d gone through.”

Through “Death and Dying,” Laura shares his story and the stories of countless others who endured similar trials during the Holocaust.