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.

Most people have never heard of the 20,000-30,000 Jews who fought back against the Nazis as Jewish partisans. These Jews were responsible for blowing up thousands of armored convoys and thwarting the Nazi war machine in countless ways, including rescuing people from the ghettos, procuring food and medicine, tending to wounded soldiers, sabotaging German communications and supply lines, punishing collaborators, sheltering civilians and saving thousands of Jewish lives.

The Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation (JPEF) inspires and educates young people around the world through the history and life lessons of the Jewish partisans. Hundreds of thousands of educators, institutions, and private citizens worldwide use JPEF materials, reaching over a million students since 2000. Read on for information about JPEF's programs and materials.

The Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation gratefully acknowledges these donors whose 2025 gifts bring the legacy of the Jewish partisans to young people everywhere — empowering them to speak out early, and to stand up against antisemitism and hate.