11 February 2009

Bielski Brothers in the Israeli News

After surviving years in the forests, the area that the Bielski Partisan Brigade operated in was taken over by the Soviets. The Bielski Partisans, numbering 1,230 men, women and children, emerged from the forest and marched into Nowogrodek.

Despite their previous collaboration with the Soviets, relations quickly worsened. The NKVD started interrogating the Bielski brothers about the rumors of loot they had reportedly collected during the war, and about their failure to "implement socialist ideals in the camp".

Asael Bielski was conscripted by the Soviet Red Army and 6 months later fell in the battle of Königsberg in 1945.

The remaining brothers escaped Soviet-controlled lands, emigrating West. Tuvia's cousin, Yehuda, was sought by the NKVD for having been an officer in the pre-war Polish Army but managed to escape with Tuvia's help and made his way to Hungary and then to Israel.

After the war, Tuvia Bielski returned to Poland, then emigrated to Palestine (present-day Israel) in 1945. Tuvia and Zus eventually settled in the United States. The last living Bielski brother, Aharon Bielski, emigrated to the US in 1951.


Asael's wife Chaya gave birth to their daughter Asaela on the day her father was killed.

The article below is an interview with Asaela from an Israeli newspaper titled, "My Father the Partisan"






There are over 50,000 Bielski Partisan survivors alive today.







1 comment:

red said...

The wife and I will be listening to one of those survivors next Saturday at the synagogue. I'm looking forward to it!

Jews

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