The Annihilation of Lithuananian Jewry is an important account of the Holocaust by a thoughtful and devout survivor. This deeply affecting book reveals both the horrors and the tenacious spiritual life of the inhabitants of the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania. Rabbi Oshry heartbreakingly chronicles pogroms, being driven into the ghetto, the "Black Day" when more than 10,000 Jews were murdered, martyrdoms, and the slaughter of Jewish children. Rabbi Oshry recounts too his terrifying experience hiding for 38 days in an underground bunker until the Russians liberated Kovno. Part 2 provides a meticulous record of the sad fate of town after town of Jewish Lithuania. And yet, amid unimaginable destruction, the Jews of Kovno Ghetto managed to hold fast to their spiritual life. For three terrifying years-never knowing when death would arrive-they prayed, adhered to Jewish law as much as possible, and celebrated Shabbos and religious occasions with fervor. Thus, despite the sadness and the horrifying details of life in the Kovno Ghetto, The Annihilation of Lithuanian Jewry is an inspiring narrative.
by Rabbi Ephraim Oshry