Testimony from Ruth Bielski Ehrreich, daughter of Tuvia Bielski of the Bielski partisans

Join Ruth Bielski Ehrreich, daughter of Tuvia Bielski of the Bielski partisans, as she virtually shares her testimony on Thursday, July 30th at 6:30 p.m. on The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Facebook Live, followed by live Q&A. Ehrreich’s father, Tuvia Bielski, with the help of his brothers Asael and Zus Bielski, saved more than 1,200 people while living in the forest during World War II.

The Bielski brothers took refuge from the Nazis in the forests surrounding Novogrudok, Belarus, and there formed a community of men, women and children. Through their leadership, the group survived starvation, harsh winters, and the threat of the Nazis and their collaborators for two years. The Bielski brothers’ Jewish partisan unit, or otriad, as known in Russian, was unique. While the great majority of partisan groups in World War II sought to fight the Germans in their midst, the Bielski brothers cared more about preserving the lives of as many Jews as possible than they did about attacking the German forces that occupied Western Belorussia.

In 2017, The Florida Holocaust Museum presented an award-winning original exhibition “Courage and Compassion: The Legacy of the Bielski Brothers,” that showcased the heroic efforts of these three brothers. The exhibit was first displayed at the museum in 2008.

The Bielski brothers story was also depicted in the 2008 film “Defiance” starring Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski, Liev Schreiber as Zus Bielski, and Jamie Bell as Asael Bielski.