Study Guide Jewish Partisans Saving Jews

“To save a Jew is much more important than their intense thirst for revenge gave the to kill Germans.” outgunned and underfed Jewish partisans the extraordinary courage and strength to attack the —Tuvia Bielski, Jewish partisan leader formidable German war machine. While Jewish partisans represented a small minority of the Multiple Missions overall partisan population, they were responsible for a disproportionate amount of damage inflicted In the countries conquered by Nazi upon the enemy. Germany during World War II, the relatively few European Jews who Yet another task the Jewish partisans took upon managed to escape the ghettos, themselves was to rescue other Jews. Together roundups or deportations had very with the military actions they undertook, these few places to run to. Often the acts of rescue gave meaning to lives whose souls very possibility of escape depended were in as much danger as their bodies. Feeling on geography, where the ghetto that it was a moral imperative to save Jewish was situated and the contour of lives, Jewish partisans took enormous risks the areas nearby. Many fled to the performing daring acts that pierced some of the forests or mountains in the first darkness of the Holocaust. instance to hide, then to join up with partisans — resistance fighters Debating Priorities employing guerrilla tactics to harass German troops. Jewish Given the multiplicity of tasks facing the partisans joined local partisan units partisans, it was necessary to prioritize. While led by non-Jews, but also formed personal survival might seem the obvious choice Maurice Goldberg, a member of the for highest priority, in fact, Jewish partisans Jewish underground in Belgium. their own groups, since all too frequently there Jews played a prominent role in were vicious antisemites among the partisans as constantly put their own lives in jeopardy in order Belgium's anti-German underground, including helping in well. They banded together because they also had to save the lives of other Jews and fight the the ambushing of a Nazi train going fewer choices than non-Jewish partisans: with enemy. Of course, every enemy soldier killed was to Auschwitz. Source: Ghetto Fighters House archives. their homes destroyed, their families murdered, also one less potential murderer of a Jew; on the Jews had no homes or families to go back to if other hand, every Jew killed while attacking the they tired of the struggle in the unforgiving enemy was one less Jew that survived the war countryside. At least some Jews could not blend and one more victory for the Nazis' “Final in easily with the local general populace. Solution.” This situation created a dilemma: should Jews play it safe and try to stay out of Jewish partisans had several objectives: the first harm's way, in order to remain alive and ensure and foremost one was to survive. This was no easy the continuity of the Jewish people? Or should task: it required steering clear of marauding they take the fight to the enemy, even at the Germans and treacherous countrymen while possible cost of more Jewish lives lost? foraging for food and seeking shelter from harsh winter weather. They were motivated not only by This difference of philosophies came to a head in the natural instinct for self-preservation, but also Lithuania in 1944 when the German army was the strong desire to bear witness against Nazi retreating in the face of advancing Russian forces. atrocities against the Jewish people after the war. Abba Kovner, a partisan fighter from the Vilna ghetto, wanted Jews to come back into the safety A second objective was to go on the offensive and of the city that had just been liberated by the Red take an active role in defeating the enemy. Since Army; he was sick of watching Jews die and now they had all lost family members to Nazi brutality, preferred to leave the fighting to the

1 professionally trained and equipped soldiers of the the two “comrades” approached the house, he advancing Soviet army. Opposing his point of view recalls, “I took out my revolver, and I shot him in was Shalom Yoran, who argued that Jews in the back and killed him with one shot.” Salsitz particular have a special obligation to destroy the extricated the three concealed Jews, warned the Nazis: “Our moral duty is to fight,” Yaron insisted. compassionate Pole that fellow Christians had While Kovner maintained that European Jews' targeted him and led his new charges to safety by most sacred duty was to remain alive, Yoran placing them in an all-Jewish unit, in which stressed the need for Jews to continue to fight Salsitz also took refuge.

Communities in the Forest

A partisan leader who succeeded in rescuing, sheltering and protecting Jews on a large scale was Tuvia Bielski of Belarus. He and his brothers, Asael and Zus, organized many escapes for Jews trapped in ghettos. “Since so few of us are left, it is important that Jews remain alive,” said Bielski. “I see this as the essence of the matter.”

Bielski created a partisan unit with a family camp for Jewish refugees, 75% of whom were women, children and the elderly who were unfit for combat. His camp grew quickly to 250 people, then to 700; by the middle of 1944, it exceeded 1,200 “citizens” who created a temporary village complete with skilled workers (shoemakers, tailors, etc.), doctors Group portrait of members of the until the enemy is truly defeated and unable to Jewish partisan unit commanded by regroup. He also felt the obligation to uphold and clinics, and even schools. Bielski's camp Yehiel Grynszpan and Sam Gruber in the Parczew Forest. While disguised Jewish honor and keep the promises many of coexisted with nearby partisan groups: partisans as a Catholic in the AK, Norman them had made to avenge their loved ones. would supply arms for the men who guarded the Salsitz was given the order to assassinate Sam, which he refused family camp, while camp residents would provide to carry out. Source: USHMM After agonizing debate, three of Yoran's archives. as many of the everyday necessities that they could compatriots decided to go with Kovner, while Yoran to the neighboring partisans. and two others made the difficult decision to carry on fighting. “I want to finish what I set out to do,” In another part of Belarus, the family camp he resolved, determined to “win the war against organized by Shlomo Zorin succeeded in rescuing the Nazis and get Nazism out of the world.” 600 women and children from the Minsk ghetto. Like Bielski's, Zorin's group made itself indispensable by furnishing partisan detachments A Dual Accomplishment in the area with vital supplies and services (such as boots, clothing, laundry Sometimes, killing enemies went hand-in-hand , hospital and bakery). In fact, in recognition of its contributions to the with saving Jewish lives. Norman Salsitz was a resistance efforts, Zorin's camp received the partisan leader in Poland who assumed a Christian official designation No. 106 of the Yevenezky identity in order to fight with the Armia Krajowa Joined Partisan Forces by the Soviet Authorities. (AK), a Polish patriotic guerrilla group that was as antisemitic as it was anti-Nazi. When the AK While the Bielski and Zorin partisans were able to learned about Jews hiding in the woods or with maintain this kind of mutually beneficial sympathetic Polish peasants, they would attack arrangement with Soviet partisan groups, most and kill the Jews, even if it distracted them from family camps in the forest were in more the fight against the Germans. One night, Salsitz precarious positions. Throughout the war, family overheard the commander assign a partisan to kill camps lost significant numbers of their members a Jewish family discovered staying with a non- to murderous raids conducted by German soldiers, Jewish farmer — and also to kill “the man who is local police and hostile partisan factions. Insisting the owner of the house, because he saves Jews.” that people who were not directly participating in Salsitz volunteered for the mission as well; and as the fighting were using up scant resources and

2 complicating the situation for others, these More Information partisans wanted the family camps destroyed. on the Jewish partisans Still, family camps were crucial not only for their own inhabitants, but also as part of a “safety net” The Jewish Partisan for Jewish partisans serving in smaller fighting Educational Foundation units. Jewish men who were fit for combat could be recommends these freed to join more active and mobile forces when resources for further they knew their family and dependents would be information. taken care of. Zorach Arluck was an important member of a Russian partisan unit, but his Books commander would not allow his relatives to stay Jewish Resistance in with them. Bielski was happy to accept them. Occupied Eastern Europe Jewish partisans in non-Jewish units relied on the by Reuben Ainsztein existence of all-Jewish units or camps as possible The Jewish Resistance havens if antisemitism turned deadly in their by Lester and Lazar Eckman squads. “In my detachment, Jewish fighters felt OK,” said Jashke Mazowi. “We knew that if something Pictured is Bernard Musmand, a French Jew, with Films happened, we could always go to Bielski.” Simone a member of the French resistance. Source: JPEF archives. The Partisans of Vilna.. Available in VHS and DVD. Volunteering to Go Back to the schmattes (old clothes) some junk,” and at the Ghetto same time smuggle out one or two Jewish The following short films prisoners. Kubryk estimates that 100-200 Jews are available online at: Jewish partisans not only collected escapees from were saved in that way. www.jewishpartisans.org/ ghettos whom they found in the countryside, films.php some even sneaked back into ghettos in order to Introduction to the Jewish smuggle food in and friends or relatives out. For One Danger Left Behind, Only Partisans to Face More this reason, some Jewish partisan groups tried to Partisans Through the stay near the towns its members had escaped Unfortunately Jews who managed to escape the Eyes of the Soviet from. “That was the original idea of running away ghetto were far from free and clear. They Newsreel from the ghetto,” said Sam Lato of Belarus. “[The continued to be hunted, by Germans and local Living and Surviving in intention was to] join a Jewish partisan group, antisemites, and were at the mercy of the the Partisans: Food, and then get out Jews from the ghetto.” At the elements of nature. Relative safety could be found Winter, Medicine and very least, it was important to be close by, Lato in partisan units. But even partisan groups who Shelter said, so that people who managed to slip out of accepted Jewish fighters discriminated against the ghetto “had a place to run.” them: “The conditions were that you had to bring Web Sites your own ammunition, you[r] own equipment, a These Jewish partisans discovered that it was Jewish Partisan Educational more difficult for them to re-enter the ghetto on rifle, a gun, grenades, whatever, [or] you cannot Foundation: rescue missions than they had imagined. Saving get in the unit,” Kubryk related. “And we had in www.jewishpartisans.org Jews thus became a matter of commerce: they the unit rifles and guns, but they were not issued Simon Wiesenthal Center: to the Jewish partisans.” bribed black marketers to do the job. “If they save http://motlc.wiesenthal.com a Jew from the ghetto, they wanted 20 rubles. Kubryk and his comrades resorted to subterfuge in Gold rubles,” said Lato. The United States order to beat the rigged system. After a successful Holocaust Memorial Joe Kubryk, a Russian Jewish partisan whose looks ambush on an enemy, instead of bringing all the Museum: enabled him pass for Aryan, brazened his way into captured arms back to the camp, they would hide http://www.ushmm.org/ ghettos in Brody and Rovno in the Ukraine to take or bury some of the weapons, “so if a Jewish guy outreach/jpart.htm young Jewish men out and lead them to partisan comes in, and he's been told that he's got to go units. “I was walking in as a Ukrainian, a gentile get himself a rifle, we will give him the rifle…and boy, and tell the Germans that used to guard the he comes back with a rifle, or with a gun, or with ghetto entrance, 'I'm going to rob the Jews,'” a grenade, or whatever it was or is available at Kubryk recalled. “And they were happy to let you the time.” do that… I used to come out with some

3 Code Among Brothers Escape by Sea Questions

Other Jewish partisan units were even more Eastern Europe was the not the only theatre of 1. The author states that the proactive about obtaining guns — and intimidating war where Jewish partisans helped other Jews. In souls of Jewish partisans “were those who would betray and harm Jews. Jewish southern Europe, Greece was a jumping off point in as much danger as their partisan leader Frank Blaichman, who began his for Jewish refugees attempting to run the British bodies.” What do you think this fighting career as an escort protecting the women blockade and get to Palestine (pre-state Israel). means? Do you agree? Why or who would venture into villages to secure food for “Hundreds of Jews gathered in [the port of] Zakeus why not? camps in the forest, would disguise himself as a who wanted to come to Israel,” recalled Sara Soviet agent and tell Polish farmers that he was Fortis. “Who helped them? The partisans. Not for 2. Describe the Kovner/Yoran collecting guns in order to arm local resistance money, without any payment, nothing. They only debate. Where do you stand on units. He also made it clear that if they did not wanted to grant them that opportunity to go to this dilemma and why? turn over their weapons voluntarily, he and his men Palestine…. The partisans knew when the ships would take them by force. He especially targeted would come. The captain in Zakeus was informed 3. Provide four examples of the collaborators and informers who spied on Polish from Athens that it was coming today, and they different ways in which Jewish partisans saved the lives of civilians for the Germans and turned Jews over to would bring in a ship and lead the Jews down, and other Jews. What choices did the Nazis. After he had executed two notorious sail. This is how they transported hundreds; Jewish partisans need to make collaborators, his group gained the reputation hundreds of Jews were taken.” in order to save these lives? Do among villagers as the armed Jews to be feared — you agree with their decisions? and thus those with whom they must cooperate. Why or why not? West vs. East

The attitude of the local population toward the 4. Describe the role that family camps played for Jews in the Jews was an important consideration in all forests. What does this tell you partisan activity. Because antisemitism was less about the partisan movement as rampant in Western Europe, Jewish partisans were a whole and its relationship to able to integrate more fully into the larger Jews? resistance movements, such as the Maquis in France. The Jewish Resistance in France, called the 5. Describe some of the Seixieme, was in charge of sabotaging German differences between Jewish activities and helped Jews avoid deportation to the partisan experiences in Eastern death camps in the East. Taking advantage of the Europe vs. Western Europe. What do you think accounts for already existing framework and organization for these differences? How did this large-scale child-oriented operations, the Jewish influence the nature of partisan Scouts concentrated their efforts on rescuing activity in Eastern and Western children. Together with the Jewish health Europe? organization O.S.E., they succeeded in smuggling 2,000 Jews into neutral Switzerland and 6. Why do you think the Jewish concealing 7,000 children throughout the country, Partisan Educational placing many of them with sympathetic farm Foundation chose to tell this A Jewish partisan in the Italian First Alpine Division, families or in boarding schools whose headmasters particular story? What lessons can we learn from those who Harry Burger used his fluency in German to interrogate were in on the secret. captured soldiers. Source: JPEF archives. put their lives on the line to save others? Who are some modern day examples of Blaichman was always on the lookout for other A Junior Secret Agent Jews, who would identify themselves to each rescuers in our world today? other by using the password “Amkha” — Hebrew One Jewish youngster who was hidden in a for “Your people.” He also devised a strategy of boarding school was recruited as a courier with “watching each other's backs” when embarking on the French resistance at the tender age of 12. missions together with non-Jewish partisans: if a With the complicity of the headmaster, who had mission would require twelve men, for example, he identified him as an intelligent and talented young would say, “We'll take six of ours and six of yours.” boy, Bernard Musmond was sent on missions into According to Blaichman, “We were not naïve; towns where a young person might travel without that's what made us successful.” arousing as much suspicion as an adult.

4 “Sometimes the underground of the resistance track down Jewish children in hiding and return Ask A Partisan would come to me and give me a package,” them to the Jewish people, if not their families. Ask Sonia and a Musmond recalled. “Usually it would contain false “A lot of Jewish children who had been given panel of partisans ID cards, false rationing cards, and they wanted to any question you away to be hidden from the Germans by have it delivered somewhere.” Musmond was like and get a Ukrainian families, by Polish families, we tried to valuable because he spoke German and was able to personalized answer on-line. save them and fish them out from these families travel quickly, by train, instead of having to travel Or read questions and and bring them back to Judaism,” Kubryk said. answers from others. Go to stealthily at night on side roads. A charming and “We used to go around the villages and find out www.jewishpartisans.org/ likable lad, he would make friends with ask.php stationmasters to avoid scrutiny by police on the platforms checking passengers. A year later , at the More Information age of 13, he became a full-fledged partisan, taking part in military actions against the Nazis in France. See videos of dozens of Jewish partisans and Another young man, Harry Berger, an Austrian Jew hear their stories in their who joined the partisans in Italy, went on similar own words. missions for his partisan unit in the Alps. According View hundreds of to Berger, the Italians living up in isolated photographs of Jewish mountainous districts were never infected by partisans. antisemitism. A delivery of money to support Explore a 3-D image of refugee Jews needed “a courier, and they picked me a Zemlyanka (a partisan because I looked young and innocent,” Berger said. underground bunker). “I took a train, with false papers I had, into Genoa See maps of partisan to the Archdiocese and got the money…. And the Photographed in Poland in 1939, Norman Salsitz, who in activity in ten countries money was given to me in an envelope, and I October of 1942, organized an escape group of 55 people and fled to the surrounding forest to form a partisan unit. across Europe. brought it up and gave it to a priest and he Norman's partisan unit fought through harsh weather conditions on rough terrain to dismantle and damage Download more study distributed it to the poor Jews.” German railroads, mills, and police stations. Source: JPEF archives. guides and lesson plans In France's northern neighbor, Belgium, a unique about Jewish partisans. partisan group was formed by Jews and non-Jews: where those kids are. Some of them were willing All of this can be found at the Committee for the Defense of the Jews. The CDJ to come; some of them were not willing to come; www.jewishpartisans.org found hiding places for thousands of Jewish some of them the families wouldn't let them go.” children during the war, many of them with non- Jewish Belgian citizens. Its paramilitary wing After that assignment, Kubryk continued, “I was Jewish Partisan conducted a celebrated operation that saved several working with the Israeli underground, [although] Educational Foundation hundred deportees' lives by derailing their train there was no Israel then, it was Palestine. I was 2107 Van Ness Avenue Suite 302 bound for the death camp of Auschwitz, the only working with the underground, and bringing over San Francisco, CA 94109 such action in the history of the Holocaust. people, Jewish people from Russia, Poland, the Ukraine, to Czechoslovakia, to Germany, from 415-563-2244 (tel) 415-563-2442 (fax) there to France; and we used to ship them on the The War Ends, But Not the 'illegal aliyah'” — on ships, like the Exodus, [email protected] Struggle carrying Jewish survivors to new lives in the ancient Jewish homeland. ©2006 Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation In 1945, Germany surrendered and the war ended — Revision no: 9.01 but the surviving Jews' problems were not over. Thus, the partisan spirit carried on even after the Most of them were displaced persons, with no war. Experienced leaders like Kubryk and Yoran money, family, or home to go back to. Having brought their military skills to the nascent Jewish repressed all feeling during the war, they finally state and trained soldiers fighting in Israel's War began to sense the magnitude of their loss. Jewish of Independence, continuing their work of partisans, still in lifesaving mode, continued to play defending Jewish lives. the role of rescuers. Joe Kubryk volunteered to

STUDY GUIDES MADE POSSIBLE BY THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF IRA DRUKIER AND THE FOLLOWING: THE CONFERENCE OF JEWISH MATERIAL CLAIMS AGAINST GERMANY-RABBI ISRAEL MILLER FUND FOR SHOAH RESEARCH, DOCUMENTATION AND EDUCATION, THE RICHARD & RHODA GOLDMAN FUND,RITA J. & STANLEY H. KAPLAN FOUNDATION,INC., THE KORET FOUNDATION, AND THE WALTER & ELISE HAAS FOUNDATION

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