By Deena Yellin for Chabad.org

As the film credits rolled, Jessica Bielski sat perfectly still in her chair and wept. Seeing the critically acclaimed film Defiance for the first time moved her to tears, but at the same time, it thrilled her. Finally, her grandfather's amazing story would be told to the world.

Growing up, people had often told the New Jersey girl that her grandfather Zus had been a hero. But the full extent of his valor didn't hit the teenager until she saw it for herself onscreen. Jessica first saw the picture in a special screening for all of the Bielski family at the Jewish Heritage Museum in Manhattan last September.

Defiance – The Bielski Brothers Heroic Tale of Survival

By Deena Yellin for Chabad.org

As the film credits rolled, Jessica Bielski sat perfectly still in her chair and wept. Seeing the critically acclaimed film Defiance for the first time moved her to tears, but at the same time, it thrilled her. Finally, her grandfather’s amazing story would be told to the world.

Growing up, people had often told the New Jersey girl that her grandfather Zus had been a hero. But the full extent of his valor didn’t hit the teenager until she saw it for herself onscreen. Jessica first saw the picture in a special screening for all of the Bielski family at the Jewish Heritage Museum in Manhattan last September.

“We were all crying,” said Jessica, recalling the reaction of her aunts, uncles and cousins who attended the event. “But it was happy at the same time because it was finally on the big screen for the entire world to see. I loved it. It was amazing.”

She has since seen the movie four more times.

The heroism of Jessica’s grandfather, Alexander Zeisal Bielski (“Zus”), certainly is something that deserves to be shown to the world. Zus, along with his brothers, Tuvia and Asael, helped save hundreds of Jews from Nazi extermination. The Bielski brothers undertook one of the largest and most impressive rescue operation of Jews during World War II. Yet, until recently their story has been largely unknown.

In 1941, the three brothers witnessed their parents and two other siblings being led away to their deaths. It was a tragic scene endlessly repeated throughout Europe during World War II. But instead of surrendering or wallowing in pity, these brothers – Tuvia, Zus and Asael – achieved the impossible. They transformed the Nazis’ violent act against them into a heroic and beautiful tale of survival against the odds.

The Bielskis led a small crew of Jews into the forest to flee from the Nazis and local police. By using their intimate knowledge of the dense forests surrounding the Belarusian towns, the brothers evaded the Nazis and established a hidden camp. Then they set about convincing other Jews to join their ranks. As more Jews arrived each day, a robust community for rescued Jews began to emerge, a “Jerusalem in the woods.”

They established an elaborate community which included everything they needed –a bakery, doctor, synagogue, mikvah, even a theater. Enough food was grown in the village to stay alive.

They mounted a guerrilla war of wits against the Nazis. The group, including women and children, ended up killing over 250 Nazis, derailing troop trains and blowing up bridges and electric stations. But their priority was saving lives rather than killing. After two and a half years in the woods, in July 1944, the Bielskis learned that the Germans, overrun by the Red Army, were retreating toward Berlin. On their final, triumphant march from the woods, 1,200 “Bielski Jews” emerged intact.

Today, over 20,000 people – who would have died or never would have been born – are alive as a result of their actions, said Jessica’s mother, Roz Moscowitz-Bielski.

Jessica, 15, as well as her older sister Rachel, 19, didn’t get to know Zus as well as they might have liked because they were very young when Zus died in 1995. The movie is a poignant way to keep his memory alive, said Jessica.

The film catapulted their family into stardom. “We’ve always known the story. But it’s strange to have a whole screen filled with your family,” said Roz.

At Jessica’s day school, where most of the teachers and students have seen the movie, she has received numerous praise and questions about her grandfather. “I feel like a celebrity. People are in awe to meet the granddaughters of Zus Bielski.”

Jessica is the history buff in her family, and has always had a deep interest in Holocaust history. “I saw the books about the Bielski story and began to read them. They were difficult to read although once I started I found that I couldn’t put them down. I had to keep reading about my past.”

She plans to work this summer as an intern at the New Jersey Metro-West Holocaust Council. Her sister Rachel, who is studying business at Pace University, says the movie has also won her some dedicated fans on campus. “Someone said to me, ‘Gosh, you are like Jewish royalty,’” she laughed.

But the most stirring reaction the family has received thus far was the phone call from an elderly man who now lives in Maplewood, NJ. He looked up the family after reading about the film. In his broken English, he introduced himself to Roz. “I wanted you to know that the Bielski brothers saved my life. If it wasn’t for them I’d be dead,” he said. “His entire family had been wiped out by the Nazis,” Roz.explained. “We ended up talking for two hours. I didn’t want to put the phone down.”

Roz has fond memories of her father-in-law.

“He was a gregarious, tall bear of a man who gave out big hugs while smoking cigars,” recalls Roz, who works in special education. “He was a content person and he loved seeing his grandchildren. I liked him very much.”

Zus often spoke about what occurred in the woods and told fascinating tales of survival, she said. “He never boasted of his heroism, only related what happened in a humble way.”

Jessica recalls him telling her that “after the group came out of the forest in 1944, they had no family, so they became their own family. My father describes their bond as friendship like he had never seen. My grandfather, his brothers, and all the survivors they saved became family. They shared in numerous parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs. They never sought recognition for their brave acts. They were so humble.”

After the war, the brothers moved to Palestine, then to New York where the family became owners of a taxi fleet. Zus always had a lot of friends and family around. Every weekend was a party, Bielski recalled. “The survivors became an extended family.”

Zus died in 1995 at age 83.

“It’s important for people to see this film,” Roz says, “and to know what went on during this terrible time in our history and to understand why it should never happen again.”

Jessica acknowledged that her grandfather’s fight for peace came at a great price. “They didn’t choose to be killers. They were forced into it. They took many risks but in the end, they marched out of the forest with over 1,200 people.”

His legacy gives her a heightened responsibility towards her people as well, she added. “Defiance shows us that anywhere you can lend a hand and help someone or do the right thing, your good deeds will not go unnoticed.”

Article from Chabad Living and Society

12 Comments

  • Neo-Chabad movement?

    Has Chabad become the Siskel and Ebert of Jewish films? This seems so far from the Rebbe’s vision I am having difficulty reconciling this with the Rebbe and Chabad philosephy I grew up with.

  • Inda Know

    Chabad shita is that every Jew should fulfill all 613 mitvos as best he or she can. Here is the story of how a group of jews fulfilled two mitzvos, “Chose life”, and “If someone comes to kill you, kill him first.” Thees were unusual circumstances, for sure. But let not their determination to fulfill these two mitzvos against the odds, be belittled.

  • Josh L

    To “Neo-Chabad movement”, I do not know you. I do not know who you are. What I do know is that for you to read a story like this, (on a NEWS & INFORMATION site like this) and your only comment is about this being “…so far from the Rebbe’s vision..” then you sir are, for lack of a better term, a shmuck!

    This is a story involving Jews putting their lives in jeopardy and having the courage to save the lives of fellow Jews and you say this is far from the Rebbe’s vision?
    How insulated in your own personal perverted vision of the Rebbe and Lubavitch are you that you believe a story about saving over a thousand Jews lives is not in line with the Rebbe’s vision?

  • Bielski is chabad

    This story is related to chabad. The Rebbe’s Partisan – Zusha Wilmowsky was part fo this group.

  • symiel

    To the ,Neo-Chabad movement, read what the this story, book, or movie is about you may learn a few things.
    “He never boasted of his heroism, only related what happened in a humble way.”
    “after the group came out of the forest in 1944, they had no family, so they became their own family. My father describes their bond as friendship like he had never seen. My grandfather, his brothers, and all the survivors they saved became family. They shared in numerous parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs. They never sought recognition for their brave acts. They were so humble.”
    Be a true “Jew”, honor and respect such a humble man perhaps you can learn something from him.

  • seen it all

    Bielski is chabad wrote:
    This story is related to chabad. The Rebbe’s Partisan – Zusha Wilmowsky was part fo this group.
    This is interesting. Are u sure about this?
    I always understood the Reb Zushe was from Lithuania and learned under Reb Elchonon Wasserman in Baranovich before the war.

  • Attention Neo-Chabad movement

    A relative of mine was saved by the Bielski brothers. They were true heroes who risked their lives for hundreds of people.

    While you may say that movies aren’t exactly what Chabad promotes, the fact is what these people did is exactly the Rebbe’s message! Ahavas Yisroel to the utmost degree.

    Re-read Josh’s post… I can’t agree more.

  • Kiddush Hashem

    Let’s not get narrow minded which by the way, Lubavitch is so not known for…
    This article is not a movie review nor does it promote going out to theaters to see it. It’s just a nice piece of information about people who were moser nefesh for others and went “lchatchila ariber”. What could be more Lubavitch than that? And yes, a kiddush Hashem certainly has been created through this movie.

  • Brocha

    I am rarely suprized anymore by the shallow and un“chabad”like reaction to stories relating to our people THE JEWS. If chabad is truly about doing mitzvos and helping other jews find their way to yiddishkeit then this story is the epitome of what chabad is about. Having said that, these men were JEWS saving JEWS thus enabling JEWS fulfill so many mitzvos that the Nazi’s so brutaly made sure were extinguished.

  • brocha

    I am rarely suprized anymore by the shallow and un“chabad”like reaction to stories relating to our people THE JEWS. If chabad is truly about doing mitzvos and helping other jews find their way to yiddishkeit then this story is the epitome of what chabad is about. Having said that, these men were JEWS saving JEWS thus enabling JEWS fulfill so many mitzvos that the Nazi’s so brutaly made sure were extinguished.

  • joshua c

    I loved the film and the true story I am sure Yeshua would approve of lives being saved