Tuvia Bielski.Pub

MILITIE ZONDER G RENZEN

FACT SHEET TUVIA B IELSKI

INFORMATION S ERVICES T EAM JUNE 2018

SMALL BUSINESSMAN AND PARTISAN KEY F ACTS

Tuvia Bielski is best known as the WW2 • Born: May 8, 1906, leader of a partisan group situated In 1941 when in Stankiewicze, Russian in the Naliboki forest in Poland Operation Barbarossa Empire (later Poland and (now Western Belarus) during the broke out, Tuvia, Belarus today). Second World War. Zus, and Asael were • called up by their Died: June 12, 1987 Early life army units to fight (aged 81), in the United Tuvia grew up in the only Polish against the Nazi States. Jewish family in Stankiewicze, a German occupiers. • Parents: David Bielski small village in Eastern Poland Tuvia recalls: and Beila Bielski. (now Western Belarus). He was “Suddenly about fifty • Siblings: Two sisters and the son of David and Beila Bielski, planes flew over the who had twelve children: ten boys town dropping nine brothers including and two girls. Tuvia was the third incendiary bombs. In Asael Bielski, Alexander eldest. His brothers Asael, a very few minutes Zeisal “Zus” Bielski and Alexander ('Zus') and Aron were the entire place was Aron Bielski. later to become members of his on fire. The • Spouses: Rifka (div.), partisan group. commander called us Sonia (div.) and Lilka. During the First World War, in, ordered us to leave Bielski served as an interpreter for the burning town and • Offspring: Michael, the Imperial German Army, regroup in a forest Robert and Ruth Bielski which were occupying the about five kilometers (with Lilka Bielski). “Our revenge is to live. We may be western territories of the Russian from there. We were • Religion: Judaism. hunted like animals but we will not Empire. In 1927, he was recruited to continue working. • Occupation: Soldier in into the Polish Army, where he We carried out his become animals. We have all chosen became a corporal. After his command but soon the Polish Army (1927- military service was over he after we began our job this to live free, like human beings, for 29), small businessman. returned home and rented another in the forest another as long as we can. Each day of freedom • WW2 activity: Led a mill to improve his family's wave of planes flew is a victory. And if we die trying to live, Jewish partisan group income. This was still inadequate, over the area and set which fought the Nazi so in 1929, at the age of 23, he the woods on fire. at least we die like human beings.” invaders and the married an older woman, Rifka, The commander collaborators and who owned a general store and a called us in and said: – Tuvia Bielski rescued Jewish refugees. large house. They lived in the ‘Friends, you are on nearby small town of Subotniki your own!’” • Post WW2: Created a where they were conducting retail After the units disbanded, the They lived in their camp for small trucking firm with business in the store. brothers fled to Stankiewicze, more than two years, and built a his brother Zus until his where their parents lived. In early horse-powered mill, bakery death in 1987. Soviet occupation July 1941, a German army unit kitchen, school, hospital, nursery, • Film: Tuvia is played by During the Soviet occupation in arrived in Stankiewicze and bathhouse, tailor shop, blacksmith Daniel Craig in the 2008 1939, Tuvia feared that he would Jewish residents were moved to a forge, gunsmith shop and jail. As be arrested by the NKVD due to ghetto in Nowogródek. The four leader of the Bielski partisans, his film Defiance about his his “bourgeois capitalist” Bielski brothers, Tuvia, Alexander primary aim was to save Jewish wartime exploits. occupation, so he moved to Lida. ("Zus"), Asael and Aron fled to refugees, though his partisans also Before Tuvia left Subotniki he the nearby forest after their attacked the German invaders and urged his wife, Rifka, to join him parents and other family members their collaborators in conjunction

in the move to Lida. She refused. were killed in the ghetto in with other partisan groups. He said: ”It is more important to save In Lida, under Soviet control, August 1941. rimary ources Tuvia met and fell in love with Jews than to kill Germans." P S

another woman named Sonia. The Jerusalem in the forest The Bielski Brothers , Peter Duffy, love affair became serious. In late Tuvia Bielski and his brothers and Post WW2 Harper Collins, 2004. 1939, Tuvia divorced Rifka. He fellow Jewish refugees formed a After WW2 he settled in the US lived with Sonia in a common law partisan group. They saved more and created a small trucking firm Defiance: The Bielski Partisans , marriage, though they were not than 1,200 Jews by hiding them in with his brother Zus. He fathered Tec Nechama, Oxford University officially married due to wartime the forests, where he met Lilka, three children with his wife Lilka, Press, 1993. conditions. his future wife. and died in 1987.