When the Germans occupied Lithuania in June 1941, Betkhe Stul Solc (z''l) was forced into the Lida Ghetto. There, she met Leib Solc (z''l), and the young couple soon fell in love and were married. In September 1943, the Nazis liquidated the ghetto. Those remaining were taken away in cattle cars to Majdanek Concentration Camp. Betkhe and Leib were among them.
A young man named Michael Stoll (z''l), who was in the same cattle car, bravely helped his family and many others, including Betkhe and Leib, escape. Betkhe and Leib jumped from the moving train and ran. Under the cover of darkness, they moved from farm to farm and slept in the woods before joining the Bielski Brigade.
Betkhe and Leib stayed with the Bielski Brigade until the end of the war. In October 1948, Betkhe and Leib immigrated to Lima, Peru, where they raised two children.
Pictured below: In 2023, Betke and Leib’s son, Zucel, and granddaughter, Arielle, attended the JPEF Gala in New York City. There they met Michael Stoll, the boy who saved Betkhe and Leib’s lives.
Read more of Betkhe's incredible story here:
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