A Blessing, Not a Burden: My Parents' Remarkable Holocaust Story and My Fight to Keep Their Legacy Alive

By all accounts, Dr. Alex Kor’s life has been a miracle. The son of two Holocaust survivors who narrowly escaped death, Alex grew up in Indiana — a state with Midwestern charm and an ignominious history of prejudice. In “A Blessing, Not a Burden,” Alex details his incredible journey, from his unique upbringing to his present-day mission of carrying on his parents’ inspiring legacy. From his mother’s controversial stance on forgiving the Nazis to his father’s unbridled optimism, Alex shares life lessons that have helped him overcome his own hardships along the way. Alex also offers his own perspective on forgiveness as he nurtures his parents’ legacies in a world still fraught with discrimination. He’s traveled a long and winding road, from Terre Haute, Indiana, to Auschwitz and many places in between and like his parents, he has endured … and overcome. As anti-Semitism festers across the globe, “A Blessing, Not a Burden” takes readers back to one of the most horrific periods in human history, reminding us of the terrible costs of hate and warning us that we are not so far removed from those dangers as we might think. Yet, at the same time, the story of the Kor family stands as a living memorial to the belief that the human spirit can overcome even the darkest of circumstances.

Hardcover. 272 pages. 2024, Pediment Publishing. By Dr. Alex Kor with Graham Honaker