Many Jewish partisans in Eastern Europe lived in underground bunkers called zemlyankas (Russian for "dugout"): small, primitive shelters that provided a living and hiding space, sometimes for dozens of people, even through freezing winters.
Click and drag in the window below to explore a virtual model of Shalom Yoran's zemlyanka that he built and lived in with four other men in the winter of 1942.
1937 borders. Approximate areas of Jewish partisan activity marked in yellow.
Approximately 30,000 Jews throughout Eastern and Western Europe -- many of them teens -- fought back during the Holocaust as Jewish partisans.
During World War II, approximately 30,000 Jews throughout Eastern and Western Europe -- many of them teens -- fought back against the Germans and their collaborators as Jewish partisans. They were men and women from a variety of backgrounds.
Alexander White was born in 1925 in a small town split between Czechoslovakia and Hungary. His father, like his grandfather before him, inherited the job of land manager of a large ranch where Alex and his family lived. In the 1930's, unjust laws targeting Jews were instituted in Alexander's small town, and his father lost his job. At age 15, with food supplies becoming scarce, Alexander left his family and fled to Budapest.
Approximate area of partisan activity for
An excellent marksman and able to speak several languages, Alexander climbed the ranks of the Yugoslavian partisan unit, quickly becoming a commander. In charge of 69 men, Alexander and his unit searched local villages for Germans hiding in them. Through interrogations, Alexander and his men received important information that helped them ambush German troops. The local population often assisted Alexander's unit, as many disliked the presence of German soldiers in their village. Alexander's group would also shoot at German scouts sent to test the safety of the mountainous highways of the region. By intimidating the Germans into thinking there were guards protecting the highway, the unit prevented further German infiltration into the area.
Alexander remained with the Yugoslavian partisans for a year and returned to Budapest after liberation. Upon his return, Alexander learned that his family, including his parents, a brother and four sisters had perished in the Holocaust. Alexander moved to the United States and settled in the Los Angeles area.
Engage and inspire your youth with these free, ready-to use materials for teaching History, Leadership, Ethics and Jewish Values through the life lessons of Jews who fought back during the Holocaust. Designed for 6th-12th grade History, English, Social Studies, Holocaust/Genocide and Jewish Studies classrooms and informal settings (youth groups, summer camps, etc.). Most materials can be completed in 45-60 minutes.
Watch short documentary films narrated by Ed Asner, Tova Feldshuh, Larry King, and Liev Schreiber made from from a collection of 50 original interviews with surviving Jewish partisans shot all over the world.
JPEF's Defiance Multimedia Curriculum, developed in cooperation with the film makers. Engage your students in critical thinking about History, Leadership, Ethics, and Jewish Values with JPEF's multimedia curriculum on teaching with the film.
Born in Poland in 1924, Faye Schulman received her first camera from her brother when she was 13. That camera ultimately saved her life and allowed her to document Jewish partisan activity later. As a result, she is one of the only known Jewish partisan photographers.
Schulman's rare collection of images captures the camaraderie, horror, loss, bravery, and triumph of the rag-tag, resilient partisans—some Jewish, some not—who fought the Germans and their collaborators.
During World War II approximately thirty thousand Jews escaped ghettos and work camps and formed organized armed resistance groups to fight the Nazis. These groups were known as partisans. Despite the odds, women were able to join the partisans. Their work in the partisan camps ranged from domestic duties such as cleaning cooking and nursing, to reconnaissance, weapons transport, as well as armed combat. Women made up approximately 10% of the partisans.
