ON
“An emotionally affecting, historically edifying memoir brimming with cultural insight and wisdom.”
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Professionally narrated by actor Alex Picard.
The daughter of an Auschwitz survivor, author Bracha Horovitz spent her childhood surrounded by people who worked fervently to establish the fledgling nation of Israel after its 1948 independence. Inspired by their resilience and fortitude, Bracha set her heart on living a life that would honor her family, her community, and her heritage.
At eighteen, Bracha joined the Israel Defense Forces. Alongside other female soldiers, she parachuted from planes, marched through hot deserts, and learned to shoot machine guns. Intense military training taught her that women, too, can be fierce fighters.
Then, while serving at IDF headquarters among Israel’s top military leaders, she was selected to participate in the Miss Israel beauty pageant. For her, the experience raised new questions about the meaning of womanhood and her purpose in life.
In a beautiful love story, Bracha married an honorable, entrepreneurial man. The two of them seemed to have it all—lucrative careers, a happy marriage, and a small family. Invited to work in the US, they struggled to maintain their Israeli identity while adapting to cross-cultural life.
And then . . . tragedy struck. Bracha’s son was born with severe disabilities. Doctors at first did not think he would survive. Hardship suddenly became a permanent aspect of Bracha’s life.
Written with elegant prose and profound insights for our lives, Soldier On is the story of how one woman and her family discovered how they could, with courage and perseverance, transform suffering into a beautiful life. In an era that is brimming with anxiety and despair, this book reminds us that no amount of suffering should destroy hope and love.
Bracha Horovitz is a first-generation Israeli, a mother, entrepreneur, and businesswoman. Having served in the Israel Defense Forces and then becoming a runner-up in the Miss Israel beauty pageant, she went on to earn a degree in textile engineering. She has lived and worked in the United States while raising her children, including her son Ronny, who was born with severe mental and physical disabilities. Bracha continues to advocate for parents with disabled children and the organizations that help them.
A Snippet from the book, about the author’s childhood home:
In Hebrew, Ein Kerem means “spring of the vineyard.” These words evoke images of rushing water and plump, juicy grapes. So beautiful is the village and its surrounding area that it is easy to imagine burrowing a few feet underground to find milk pooling in the dirt, or leaning against a tree to find honey dripping like sap down its trunk. As a child, I gave little attention to my village’s ancient ties or sacred history, but I felt the hallowedness of the place I called home.
Ein Kerem sits on the slope of a Judean hill. Scattered throughout the village are spots which offer unencumbered views of the stunning natural landscape that surrounds it. One of these locations, happily, was the balcony of my childhood home. I would often escape to that quiet place to observe the stirring panorama in solitude. My eyes would roam over the hills that teemed with a remarkable variety of trees and plants, including pine, cypress, juniper, sage, lavender, mulberry, and eucalyptus—to name a few. The view often called to mind the Torah verses I had read in school. “[A] good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey” (Deuteronomy 8:7-8).
Standing on that balcony, I was overwhelmed by the land’s opulence. The terrain and foliage seemed to flow down from the horizon and into our little valley, trickling into the village’s tree-lined streets and over its garden walls. As if in response to this cascading beauty, the bells of local churches and monasteries would boldly ring. The clear sound would echo up the cobbled streets and narrow alleyways, across the terraced slopes, and into the hills beyond. There was reciprocity between Ein Kerem and the nature it inhabited. Perhaps because it was so undeveloped, and therefore had so many rough edges, I could never be sure where the wilderness ended and its cultivation began.
““This beautifully told story by a pioneer Israeli woman will inspire anyone wanting to learn about identity, purpose and resilience in suffering.””
““This honest, transparent memoir exposes readers to probing questions about what it means to be a courageous woman and mother. In Soldier On, the author reveals her self-doubt in the midst of overwhelming hardships. By boldly choosing the path of courage rather than despair, she and her family created a beautiful and inspiring life. We can all do the same.” — Sarah Davison-Tracy, human rights advocate and author of No Longer Untouchable: A Story of Human Trafficking, Heroism, and Hope”
““In Soldier On, Bracha Horovitz reveals her many roles as a modern woman: daughter, soldier, wife, mother, businesswoman, and advocate for children with disabilities. This memoir is a deeply personal and yet universal story—one that is well worth reading.””
““Soldier On invites the reader into an experience of beauty amidst the vicissitudes of life and relationships. The eclectic breadth of the author’s life stretches through many traditional and non-traditional roles, which has potential to inspire a generation. Having myself walked through 24 years of emergency medicine as a physician, decades of public health practice and advocacy, marriage and raising a family, I found comradery with the author. Her memoir tells her story with curiosity, humility, and compassion, inspiring us to explore our own storylines for purpose, hope, and love.””
The reader will be hard-pressed to find either bitterness or a shallow sanguinity in this moving memoir—the entire remembrance radiates a remarkable combination of moral pragmatism and an enthusiasm for being alive[…] An emotionally affecting, historically edifying memoir brimming with cultural insight and wisdom.
Soldier On provides deep insight into Horovitz’s life, expressing the overarching theme of persevering through difficult moments well. Horovitz’s descriptive and thoughtful prose conveys the turmoil she faced at various moments in her life . . . As a storyteller, Horovitz never strays; her words are powerful and consistent. This helps to make Soldier On a compelling memoir about a woman’s experiences as a soldier, wife, mother, and entrepreneur; it highlights the power of determination and inner strength in the face of adversity.
Ghostwriting by Sophie Paulson
Cover design by James Clarke (United Kingdom)
Published by Endeavor Literary Press, 2022 (on sale November 22, 2022)
Paperback: 978-1-7368734-4-1
Ebook: 978-1-7368734-5-8