The Bielski brothers were able to do the impossible during the Holocaust. The four brothers, Tuvia, Zus, Asael, and Aron, all worked together to ban Jews in the forests of Belarus, which at the time was German occupied Poland. The brothers fled to the forest after their parents and siblings were killed by the Nazi party. They were able to survive in the forest for more than two years, and during this time they recruited 1200 Jews to their cause.
Housing
The housing set up by the Bielski partisans at first was very simple, but as numbers grew more complex designs and planning were needed. The brothers knew the forest very well from their childhood. One survivor of the Bielski partisan group, Jack Kagan stated that “They knew every tree in the forest, every place to go, where to hide and so on” (Rollings 11). The brothers moved the group throughout the forest in attempt to dodge the Germans that were after them. At first, the group built simple homes that consisted of blankets propped up under tree branches. At this time the group was located about a mile away from the nearest road. Numbers grew even higher when Tuvia decided to expand the group that was originally just for relatives of the brothers to allowing any Jew to join. Tuvia is quoted saying “I would rather save one old Jewish woman than kill 10 Nazi soldiers” (Tuvia Bielski: Rescue is Resistance 3). Tuvia is famous for taking in any Jew no matter how old, young, or sick. Tuvia would also go as far as physically sneaking himself into the ghettos in order to convince the Jews to run away to the forest with him. He was so determined to save as many Jews as possible even though his two brothers disagreed with his reasoning.
Once the group grew, and winter came, a more complex system of living was set up by the brothers. “With the arrival of the cold weather, characteristic of the Belarus winter, the brothers, worried about the prospect of their people freezing to death, ordered the construction of large wooden living quarters, known as zemlankas in Russian” (Tuvia Bielski: Rescue is Resistance 4). These structures were halfway built into the ground in order to conserve as much heat as possible. Also, furs and any other raw materials they could find were used as insulation. After dodging another attack from the Germans, Tuvia lead the group deeper into the forest where there were thicker woods. Here he set up his final and most efficient camp. This new camp, which included numerous “zemlankas” also “had a large kitchen, a bathhouse, a blacksmith forge, a small horse powered mill, a bakery, a tailor shop staffed by 18 men, a school for some 60 children, a gunsmith shop, and even a jail. It came to be called Jerusalem” (Tuvia Bielski: Rescue is Resistance 4). In this camp everyone fulfilled a specific role, whether it was fixing ammunition, cooking, or making shoes. These partisans were able to set up their own civilization with the leadership of Tuvia Bielski and his brothers.
Military
At first partisan missions were enough to keep the health up among the Bielski camp, but once again as numbers grew food became harder to come by. “The years in the forest were arduous. Though no one in the Bielski camp died of starvation, they often came close” (Reich 1). The brothers needed to provide much for their 1200 followers, and these partisan missions were the source of obtaining supplies. Raids of villages were used to obtain any supplies that could be used for the better of the camp such as guns, food, and raw materials. “The young fighting men, a minority of the overall Bielski population, spent long nights obtaining food—sometimes stealing it—from the local peasant population to feed everyone” (Tuvia Bielski: Rescue is Resistance 3). As the camp became larger it took a little luck for the group to get food. In one account the Germans became so fed up with the partisan group that they burned all the surrounding towns of the forest. “But they left the crops in the ground. So we dug up 200 tons of potatoes” (Rollings 41). So in this case the Bielski partisan group benefited from the burnings and came out with much needed food. At times, the group had to be aggressive while on the partisan missions. Tuvia explained that “the group needed to be feared if it had any chance of surviving in such a hostile environment. And it worked: the size of the unit increased seemingly with every passing day” (Tuvia Bielski: Rescue is Resistance 3).
With the group being so big the Bielski’s encountered the Germans numerous times, but if it weren’t for the brother’s leadership they would not have been as heavily protected. One particular event happened in August 1943 when “the Germans planned a massive attack on the partisans in the Nalibocka forest of western Belarus. To get away, the Bielski group walked more than a week through swamp -- water and mud often waist high -- one person tied to another” (Reich 1). In times like these, Tuvia’s leadership truly shined. "But like all charismatic leaders, Tuvia Bielski -- tall, striking and fiercely determined -- seemed to inspire those who were suffering, notwithstanding the peril they faced” (Reich 1). He was hope for the people that one day things would go back to the way they were before the war, and this shows by how people speak of him. The Germans did much to try to stop the partisan group including bringing in “52,000 extra soldiers to combat the partisans but they failed to penetrate the forest camp” (Rollings 1). Tuvia’s keen knowledge of setting up the camp was the reason why the Germans could not penetrate it because it was in such a perfect location. Jack Kagan said “The forest is 40 miles by 40 miles. You could survive ten wars there” (Rollings 1). With Soviet partisans around the same area, Tuvia decided that some of his men should fight with them side by side. “The brothers moved quickly to build a fighting force from the escapees, who joined forces with the growing army of Soviet partisans engaging in guerrilla attacks against the occupiers” (Tuvia Bielski: Rescue is Resistance 3). This proved to be very successful, and the two groups did well to sabotage the Germans. One example is “In October 1942, a squad of Bielski and Soviet fighters raided a German convoy loaded with supplies, killing at least one German soldier” (Tuvia Bielski: Rescue is Resistance 3). With successful sabotages like this the group’s strength and reputation grew greatly. With Tuvia as their commander the partisans were able to go on more similar raids that loaded them up with supplies and food.
Tuvia and Zus moved to New York where they started a trucking business. Asael died shortly after the Holocaust. Many survived from the efforts put forth by the brothers, and today their stories are told in numerous books and films. The leadership shown by the brothers was remarkable and today thousands of families live on because of them. Their story is extraordinary and should never be forgotten.
Work Cited
Reich, Howard. "Survivors remember Bielskis' strength, courage." Chicago Tribune (IL) (18 Jan.
2009). Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Champaign, IL. 2 Apr. 2009
Rollings, Grant. "I hid in forests to fight Nazis | Story behind new film Defiance | The Sun
|Woman|Real Life." The Sun | The Best for News, Sport, Showbiz, Celebrities & TV | The
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Steane, Mary Ann. "Invisible city: a Jerusalem in the forest?." Journal of Architecture 12.1 (Feb.
2007): 37-56. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State
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"Tuvia Bielski: Rescue is Resistance." Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation (2008): 1-6.
Viera, Lauren. "Lifelong friends team up to create 'Defiance,' the story of Bielski brothers."
Chicago Tribune (IL) (18 Jan. 2009). Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Champaign, IL. 2 Apr.
2009