The Bielski Brothers

Holocaust-related Jewish genocidal acts are and will always be linked to World War II. Adolf Hitler and his Aryan Nation philosophy led the Germans as they invaded numerous European nations in an effort to find and exterminate Jews. Jews who were captured were persuaded to believe that they would be moved or forced to work as prisoners of war in concentration camps; they had no idea of what awaited them in camps like Auschwitz and others, where millions were murdered in gas chambers. According to Bauer and Rozett, who were referenced by the Holocaust Center for Humanity (online), during World War II, close to six million Jews were slaughtered. Although millions of Jews were killed, thousands managed to escape the Germans with the help of sympathizers. One of the most famed tales of courage and perseverance is that of the Bielski brothers, who sheltered fleeing Jews in the forest of “Western Belarus” (Reiniger web). Numerous books and articles were written about the lives and exploits of the Bielski brothers; one of which, Defiance, was penned by Nechama Tec (web). The aforementioned author described the actions of the Bielski brothers as the “Largest Armed Rescue of Jews by Jews during World War II” (Tec web). The movie Defiance, released by Paramount Vantage in 2008, was based on this book. It was directed by Ed Zwick and casted Daniel Graig and Liev Schreiber in the roles of Tuvia and Zusya (shortened to Zus) respectively.

Zusya, Tuvia, Asael and Aharon were four of ten sons born to David and Beila Bielski. They grew up in Stankiewicze, a small village of “six families” situated in the east of Poland (Reiniger web). The Soviet Union took over this part of Poland in 1939 and it became known as Western Belarus (Reiniger web). Reiniger (web) stated that the Bielski family lived in this region for “three generations”, and that they were “farmers” and “millers”.

Germany invaded the Soviet Union during “June 1941” (Reiniger web). Groups of German bounty hunters, called the “Einsatzgruppen”, were specifically tasked with tracking down Jews, and their sympathizers or helpers, and killing them en masse. Those who were not killed, were relocated to the so-called ghettos, from where they were often deported to the concentration camps and gas chambers. These were areas specifically designated for Jews and their sympathizers (Reiniger web). In the movie Defiance (2008), the Jews were seen wearing yellow David stars attached to their clothing to mark them as Jews. An article, titled the Holocaust Resistance: The Bielski Brothers and the “Otriad”, published by the Holocaust Research Project (web), stated that approximately nine thousand villages in Belarusia were attacked, and in most instances, all the inhabitants were killed. The corpses were literally dumped into mass graves, and it is estimated that around “three” mass graves consisted of the bodies of children (Holocaust Resistance: The Bielski Brothers and the “Otriad” web). A proverbial handful survived – either on their own, like the Bielski brothers, or with the help of others.

In December 1941, David and Beila Bielski and their children, with the exception of Zusya, Tuvia, Asael and Aharon, were part of a group of five thousand people that were murdered during one of these raids (Reiniger web). This incident led the remaining Bielski brothers to flee to the “Belarusian forest” (Reiniger web). This was an area well known to them. They thought they could lose and escape the Germans and their sympathizers in this forest.

Naturally, the Bielski brothers were not the only ones that fled to the forest. Many others also sought refuge there as their villages were attacked. It was thus that the Bielski forest camp was established. Tuvia Bielski was the “commander” of this refugee camp (Reiniger web). These so-called camps were known as “partisan units” or “otriads” (Reiniger web). Quintessentially, the various camps consisted of Jews and Russians resisting the Germans. These camps were predominantly operated as military regimes and engaged in guerilla attacks on the Germans.

The Bielski camp was unique in that it not only strived to resist the Germans and their supporters. Tuvia Bielski took in all Jews. These included “women”, “children”, “the elderly” the sick, and even “Jewish refugees” who “fled” other camps or the “ghettos” (Holocaust Resistance: The Bielski Brothers and the “Otriad” web). For the Bielskis, it was of profound importance to save all Jews who came to them, without any exception. This philosophy is best depicted in Tuvia Bielski’s own words: “Don’t rush to fight and die. So few of us are left, we need to save lives. It is more important to save Jews than to kill Germans” (Reiniger web). It was more important to Tuvia Bielski to “save one old Jewish woman than kill ten German soldiers” (Reiniger web). The movie Defiance (2008) depicted how internal conflict between Tuvia and Zusya Bielski resulted in Zusya Bielski leaving the Bielski camp and joining a Russian partisan unit. This conflict arose due to differences in personal philosophies. Zusya was portrayed to believe that fighting the Germans was more important than taking on the proverbial sick, lame and lazy. Zusya later returned to the Bielski otriad and embraced the philosophy of saving Jews as opposed to primarily fighting the Germans.

It was not merely enough for the Bielski brothers to provide fleeing Jews with shelter and food. They made it their mission to extract Jews from the “ghettos” (Reiniger web). As stated, the ghettos were designated areas established by the Germans. They relocated Jews and Jewish sympathizers to these areas. The population of each ghetto was carefully controlled and accounted for. In an article titled Ghettos, The Holocaust Encyclopedia (web) stated that the Germans established ghettos as an essential part to their plan to eradicate all Jews. Some ghettos only existed for days and were basically used as hording pens from where Jews were deported to the gas chambers. Other ghettos existed for years and established a social structure (Holocaust Encyclopedia web). The living conditions in the ghettos were haggard and the Holocaust Encyclopedia (web) denoted that the “vast majority of ghetto inhabitants died from disease or starvation, were shot, or were deported to killing centers”.

It was very challenging to extract people from the ghettos, and the greatest opposition came from the Jews and Jewish sympathizers within the ghettos (Reiniger web). The urbanized ghetto population feared the harsh conditions in the forest, others believed that their work skills would save them and survival depended on keeping one’s head down and working for the Germans. They also naively believed that there would be no more mass killings, as the Germans did not kill the “skilled workers” (Reiniger web). These ghettos also had “Jewish councils” that vehemently opposed the extraction of inhabitants, as they believed it would lead to detection and “massacre” (Reiniger web). This made it extremely difficult for the Bielski brothers to convince people to leave the ghetto. Despite these challenges, the Bielski brothers managed to extract and save a significant number of people from the ghettos. According to Reiniger (web), those who escaped the ghettos not only contended with the Germans, but with their own people as well.

Jews who managed to escape the initial massacres and ghettos, either fled to the forest or were sheltered by “gentile peasants” (Reiniger web). These Jewish sympathizers ensured that the escapees were fed and sheltered until the Bielski group collected them and took them to otriad (Reiniger web). Reiniger (web) stated that it would not have been possible for these people to survive without the help and generosity of the “gentile peasants”. These sympathizers hid and fed the Jews at great risk to their own safety and survival. Thus, the Bielski camp consisted of ghetto refugees, people who escaped into the forest and people who were sheltered by Jewish sympathizers.

Forest life was not easy and presented the Bielski camp with countless challenges. The provision of food was the most difficult hurdle to overcome. Foraging and hunting were not enough, and they simply could not live off the land alone. Hence, food-sourcing groups were established and tasked with visiting “gentile peasants” to obtain sustenance (Reiniger web). This was a dangerous task, as they had no idea which “gentile peasants” were sympathetic to their cause and who were German informers and supporters. Many Bielski otriad members were captured or killed on these excursions. The winters in the forest were especially cruel, and a lot of infighting occurred about food. Some argued that they earned larger rations than those who did not risk their lives and actively fought the Germans. On occasion, Tuvia Bielski’s leadership was questioned and he had to assert himself (Reiniger web). In one scene in the movie Defiance (2008), he shot a member of the group who demanded more food and attempted to usurp him. In addition to food and leadership challenges, the Bielskis also had to contend with the other “partisan units” for a place in the forest (Reiniger web). These units also attempted to recruit the Bielskis as fighters, but they managed to remain independent. Reiniger (web) stated that the Bielski group had to relocate numerous times in order to vie for position, maintain safety and escape the Germans. Thus, the living conditions were anything but idyllic, and it was imperative that the Bielski brothers operate the otriad according to strict military rules to ensure survival (Reiniger web).

Two biblical metaphors stood out in the movie Defiance (2008). The first was the physical altercation between Tuvia and Zusya Bielski. It was reminiscent of the power struggle between Cain and Able. The second depicted a scene where the Bielski camp was forced to flee to escape the Germans. Tuvia and Asael Bielski led the group towards escape and came up against a swamp and river. They ultimately led the members of the group through waters, much the same as Moses led the Jews through the Dead Sea when fleeing Egypt.

The Bielski otriad consisted of one-thousand, two-hundred survivors at the end of World War II (Reiniger web). Reiniger (web) stated that this was “one of the largest rescue of Jews by fellow Jews during WWII”. The tale of the Bielski brothers is one of prolific perseverance and “solidarity” (Reiniger web).

Works Cited

Defiance. Web.

Ghettos. Holocaust Encyclopedia. United States Holocaust Museum, Washington DC. Web.

Holocaust Center for Humanity. Web.

Holocaust Research Project. Holocaust Resistance: The Bielski Brothers and the “Otriad”. Web.

Reiniger, Franziska. Solidarity in the Forest – The Bielski Brothers. Web.

Tec, Nechama. Web.