This time we will talk about Jewish partisans during the World War II and about a Resistance whose primary goal was not only to fight the enemy, but to save Jewish lives.

In the forests of Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Russia, Jewish partisan units combined armed struggle with rescue, shelter, and responsibility for entire families.

By the time Nazi forces reached Eastern Europe, many Jewish towns and villages were left largely without men. Women, children, and the elderly made up much of the remaining population — and we will discuss how and why this happened.

Where young Jewish men were still present, including those with military experience, taking up arms became the only response to immediate danger. Jewish resistance was driven not by ideology, but by the need to protect families and help others escape. We will also speak about women in partisan units and what it meant to live and survive in the forest as a woman.

February 9, Monday Part I.

Escape, Survival, and the Formation of Jewish Partisan Units

The first part explores how Jewish partisan units came into being. We begin with Belarus, where Jewish partisan activity reached its greatest scale and where entire family camps were formed, including the well-known unit of the Bielski brothers.

We will talk about partisan activity in Belarus more broadly, including escapes from the Minsk Ghetto and rescue operations that followed. One of the central stories of this part is the escape from the Novogrudok Ghetto, when prisoners dug a tunnel and fled into the forest.

This part also looks at daily life in the forest: underground shelters, hunger, illness, fear of betrayal, and constant movement. We will discuss the role of women in these camps, including the remarkable story of a woman photographer who served as a doctor in a Jewish partisan unit and left behind rare visual testimony.

February 10, Tuesday Part II.

Armed Resistance, Rescue, and Aftermath

The second part focuses on armed resistance and the hardest choices Jewish partisans faced. We will examine sabotage and combat operations, as well as relations with other partisan groups and locals.

We will discuss why it was nearly impossible to form Jewish partisan units in Ukraine, and why Jewish fighters in Lithuania often found themselves fighting on two fronts — against the Nazis and against local nationalist groups.

The talk concludes with rescue missions, the fate of those who were saved, and what happened to Jewish partisans after the war, when their experiences were often silenced or pushed to the margins of memory.