Lurie Leon Ezekilovich (21 August 1913, Riga) — translator.
Leon Lurie was born to a family of physicians: Ezekiel Lazarevich Lurie (1883, Riga – murdered by the Nazis in 1941, Rumbula) and Hanna Ovseevna Lurie (1883, Vilnius – 1928, Riga).
He graduated from the German Gymnasium of E. Hermann (Riga, 1932) and studied at the Faculty of Law of the University of Tartu (1932–1937), but did not complete his studies. After returning to Riga, he worked at the advertising bureau of L. Schlesinger (1937–1940) and as a German-language teacher at the Riga Industrial School (1940–1941).
He was evacuated to the city of Engels, Saratov Region, where he worked as a teacher of German in School No. 12 (1941–1942). He served in the Soviet Army as a translator on the 1st Ukrainian and 2nd Baltic Fronts during the Second World War (1942–1945), and later as a German-language instructor in the Department of the Supreme Headquarters of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (1945–1946, Berlin). He was wounded and shell-shocked.
Leon Lurie was awarded the Order of the Red Star, the medal “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–45”, and several jubilee medals.
After returning to Riga, he worked as an inspector for the State Insurance Agency (1947–1961), then in the Supply Department of the Civil Air Fleet (1961–1964), and in the Administrative Department of the Riga Film Studio (1964–1971).
In his marriage to Olga Mikhailovna Lurie (née Kukhareva) (1922, Vyshny Volochyok, Kalinin Region) a daughter was born: Alexandra Leonovna Lurie (1947, Riga). The marriage was dissolved in 1971.
In 1971 Leon Lurie received permission to emigrate to Israel, where his cousin Lais Lurie (1917, Riga) was residing.
N. Voronova
Family:
Ezekiel Lazarevich Lurie (1883–1941) — father
Hanna Ovseevna Lurie (1883–1928) — mother
Salamon Ezekilovich Lurie (1915, Riga – killed in action in 1941, Estonia) — brother
Olga Mikhailovna Lurie (née Kukhareva) (1922) — former wife
Alexandra Leonovna Lurie (1947) — daughter
Lais Lurie (1917) — cousin