Project with the same title dedicated to remembrance of the famous Jewish guerilla detachment will be carried out by the international team within 3 states: Belarus, Poland and Israeli.
In the 19th century ancestors of the Bielski family settled in Stankievichy (small Belarusian village) situated between Lida and Navahrudak near the Naliboki Forest. They were the only one Jewish family in this village. In the begging of the 20th century family of David and Bella Bielski survived after German occupation and after the end of the WW1 lived under the Polish government. After 1939 members of the family obtained Polish citizenship. There were 11 children in the family. Eldest son of David and Bella – Tuvia – was born in 1906, studied firstly in Jewish religious school and than finished polish one. He knew 6 languages: Yiddish, Russian, Belarusian, Polish, Hebrew and German. Tuvia served in the Polish Army from 1927 to 1929, rising to the rank of corporal. As a dowry he was given a small shop in Stankievichy. Two Tuvia’s younger brothers – Asael and Zus were drafted into the Soviet army after the Western Belarus was seized by the Soviet Union in September 1939.Before Nazi Germany invasion «NKVD» (prototype of future «KGB») launched mass repressions against so-called «bourgeois elements». As the owner of the small shop Tuvia was forced to leave his home. A bit later he found the job of an accountant assistant.After Nazi Germany invasion in Belarus in the summer of 1941 and the beginning of mass savage reprisals against Jewish population, Tuvia and his brothers who had returned their home from the encirclement in December, 1941 created Jewish guerilla detachment in the forest, not far from their home village.
Brothers succeeded to help out in the forest a part oh their relatives who became the basis of the guerilla detachment. Firstly the guerilla detachment consisted of only 20 partisans and from armory they had only one revolver. Tuvia was elected as the commander of the guerilla detachment.
In August, 1942 the guerilla detachment enlarged to 250 persons for account of partisans who came from the Navahrudak ghetto. In the autumn of 1942 «The Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» began its combat operations and gained local partisan’s confidence. Tuvia Bielski recommended himself as a decisive and experienced commander. All this played a great role in official recognizing of «The Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» by the commanders of the Soviet partisan movement. In February, 1943 «The Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» was included in larger guerilla detachment called «October».
The guerilla detachment occupied the whole village called «Jerusalem in the forest». The partisans lived in underground dugouts (zemlyankas) or bunkers. In addition, several utility structures were built: a kitchen, a mill, a bakery, a bathhouse, a medical clinic for sick and wounded and a quarantine hut for those who suffered from infectious diseases such as typhus. More than 125 workers toiled in the workshops, which became famous among partisans far beyond the Bielski base: tailors patched up old clothing and stitched together new garments; shoemakers fixed old and made new footwear; leather-workers laboured on belts, bridles and saddles. A metalworking shop established by Shmuel Oppenheim repaired damaged weapons and constructed new ones from spare parts. A tannery, constructed to produce the hide for cobblers and leather workers, became a de-facto synagogue because several tanners were devout Hasidic Jews. Carpenters, hat-makers, barbers, watchmakers served their own community and guests. The camp's many children attended class in the dugout set up as a school. The camp even had its own jail and court of law.
Nazi troops attacked the Bielski Brothers camp several times but the partisan unit made fighting retreats. During the biggest counter-partisan operation «German», which started on the 15th of July, 1943, «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» retreated from their camp to a small island among the marshes where Nazi troops couldn’t achieve them.
Under protection of «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» 1,200 Jews survived the war, making it one of many remarkable rescue missions in the Holocaust. All the brothers survived Nazi occupation and evidenced the liberation of the Belarus by the Soviet troops. A bit later Tuvia was called to visit Minsk where he gave meticulous report about his partisan’s unit activities.
According to the survey of PhD, Prof. David Melzer «The Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» destroyed 6 enemy troop trains, burst 20 railroad and highway bridges, carried out 12 open fights and ambushes, destroyed 16 vehicles with manpower and in total partisans killed more than 250 German soldiers and officers. The Bielski group's partisan activities were aimed at the Nazis and their collaborators, such as Belarusian volunteer policemen or local inhabitants who had betrayed or killed Jews. Zus Bielski personally killed 47 Nazi soldiers. The Nazi regime offered a reward of 100,000 Reichmarks for assistance in the capture of Tuvia Bielski.
According to some archive notes, despite their previous collaboration with the Soviets, relations quickly worsened. The «NKVD» started interrogating the Bielski brothers about the rumours of loot they had reportedly collected during the war, and about their failure to "implement socialist ideals in the camp". In 1944 after the liberation of Belarus Asael with a part of «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» joined the Soviet Red army and fell in the Battle of Königsberg in 1945.The remaining brothers escaped Soviet-controlled lands, emigrating Palestine. After creation of the state Israel, Tuvia and Zus took part in the War for independence. But it was very hard for them to earn for a living after the war so they moved to the USA and settled in Brooklyn (New York City). Tuvia became a lorry driver and Zus an owner of several cabs.
In the summer of 1986, people saved by the Bielski brothers organized a banquet in their honor in the «Hilton» hotel (in New York City). 600 persons welcomed 80- years old Tuvia Bielski with the storm of applause. Tuvia died in December of that year. Initially he was buried in a Jewish cemetery in Long Island, but a year later he was reburied with full military honors at the Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. Zus Bielski died in 1995. Aron currently lives in Miami.
The Bielski brothers didn’t receive any official rewards. 29 peopled rescued by the «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» were still alive at the end of 2008. Descendants of the rescued numbers tens of thousands of people.
In 2001, «Polish Institute of National Remembrance» has accused some members of «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» in the massacre in the village Naliboki, located 120 km from Minsk. As a result of partisan attack on this village on the 8th of May, 1943 –128 were people, including three women, some teenagers and a child of ten.
It was found that among the assailants were few men of «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment». However Tuvia’s son Robert and some survived partisans argued that «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» had no connection to this case because that day they were 100 km away from Naliboki. They sure that in the area of Naliboki «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» appeared only in August,1943.
Four persons: two Belarusians, Pole and Jew within one team are going to study public reaction to the Hollywood movie «Defiance», released in 2008, based on Nechama’s Tek book «Defiance: The Bielski Partisans»(1993) in Poland, Belarus and Israel. Next, project participants will investigate the destiny of the several survived partisans, directly involved in the events described in the book and movie.
Artsem Yakaukin (project participant representing Belarus):
«It is very important for us to understand how the former partisans who passed through the millstones of the Soviet system, refer to the fact that their past activities are still getting diametrically opposed assessments in Poland and Israel, while in the Belarusian historiography there is almost no mention of them. We also want to remind young Belarusians about the forgotten pages of our national history».
Konrad Kosrtzeva (project participant representing Poland):
«Hollywood action movie simplified historical realities to the product of mass consumption. Many Poles are quite critical of such kind of history interpretation. However, this film has attracted people's attention to a very important issue: remembrance of the Jewish partisan resistance in the Western Belarus and Poland, remembrance of the Holocaust. I think that on the example of this movie we can trace the level of mere people’s remembrance (especially the youth) in Poland, Belarus and Israel not only of «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment», but also of the whole Jewish resistance during the WW11. Our issue is more than interesting: today this or that view on various historical events to a certain degree is forming by mass media rather than by history textbooks».
Grigory Binlin (project participant representing Israel):
«Bielski brothers are national heroes in Israel. They are a symbol of the Jewish struggle against fascist aggression. I think it is very important to draw the attention of Jews in the Belarusian diaspora (especially the younger generation) to this issue. I think that it is also very important to discuss with former partisans their destinies after the WWII. In particular we are going to discuss following questions: What they did after the WWII and what they didn’t and why? Were they heroes? What did they tell their children about their own past? Did they tell about «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» in public or it was shameful? How many contacts with other partisans, who were to immigrated, the have saved? How things have changed since the USSR breakup? Will they change something from their past if they had such possibility? I think that their answers on such kind of question will be interested not only for our project team»
Nikita Dunets (project participant representing Belarus):
«Half a year ago we had only the idea of such a project. And now we are at the stage of its realization. We believe that the results of our work in this direction will give food for thought for many people of different generations in Poland, Belarus and Israel. The same historical issues have always had different interpretations of national histories. Activities of «the Bielski Brothers guerilla detachment» are striking example of this assertion. However, the memory in the minds of people, no matter how controversial it is, much better than the lack of it. We are always ready to give detailed information about our project to everyone who is interested in its results. Moreover, we are always ready to accept constructive criticism. Therefore we are asking all who are interested in our project actively participate in the discussion on our online project-blog, which you can find on the following web-site: http://www.geschichtswerkstatt-europa.org »
