From Victims to Fighters

Jews in the Byelorussian Partisan Forests

Authors

  • Daniela Ozacky Stern Western Galilee College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23777/sn.0125/art_doza01

Keywords:

Narocz Forest , Jewish Partisans, Resistence, Bielski Brothers, Belurussian Forests

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of Jewish victims into active fighters during the Holocaust, focusing on those who escaped from ghettos to join partisan units in the forests of Belarus. The study highlights the psychological shift from helplessness to empowerment experienced by these individuals, exploring their motivations, challenges, and strategies for survival and resistance. Using the Jewish partisans of the Narocz forest as a central case study, the research draws on survivors' testimonies to provide insights into the complex dynamics of this transition.
The chapter investigates the decision-making process behind escaping to the forests, the dangers involved, and the moral dilemmas faced by those leaving family members behind. It examines the acquisition of military skills, adaptation to harsh living conditions, and the formation of new communities within partisan units. Additionally, the study explores the role of revenge as a motivating factor and the impact of these experiences on postwar Jewish identity and collective memory.
Analysing these narratives contributes to a more nuanced understanding of Jewish agency and resistance during the Holocaust, challenging simplistic portrayals and highlighting the multifaceted nature of survival in extreme circumstances.

Author Biography

  • Daniela Ozacky Stern, Western Galilee College

    Daniela Ozacky Stern is a scholar of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust and World War II. She is a lecturer in the Holocaust Studies Program at Western Galilee College, Israel. Dr. Ozacky Stern earned a PhD in Jewish History at the University of Haifa, studying the Jewish partisans in Lithuania and Belarus during the Holocaust. She earned a master’s degree from the School of History at Tel Aviv University, where her thesis dealt with Nazi propaganda led by Joseph Goebbels. This thesis was published as a book. Ozacky Stern conducted post-doctoral research at Yad Vashem and was a European Holocaust Research Infrastructure fellow at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. In 2024, she was an Archive Fellow at the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University. Her publications deal with Jewish partisans in Eastern Europe, the Vilna Ghetto, and Holocaust documentation. She is the book review editor of the Jewish Culture and History journal.

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Published

2025-03-05

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2025): S:I.M.O.N. – SHOAH: INTERVENTION. METHODS. DOCUMENTATION.

Section

ARTICLES

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Daniela Ozacky Stern

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How to Cite

“From Victims to Fighters: Jews in the Byelorussian Partisan Forests”. 2025. S: I.M.O.N. Shoah: Intervention. Methods. Documentation. 12 (1): 116-28. https://doi.org/10.23777/sn.0125/art_doza01.