Img. ID: 494927

Stone 61

TUVYA BIELSKI
(1906-1987) 

A POLISH CORPORAL BEFORE WORLD WAR II, BIELSKI RETURNED
TO HIS FAMILY’S VILLAGE NEAR NOVOGRUDOK WHEN THE GERMANS
INVADED THE SOVIET UNION. AFTER HIS PARENTS AND OTHER
FAMILY MEMBERS WERE KILLED IN THAT GHETTO. TUVYA, JOINED BY
HIS BROTHERS ZUSYA, ASAEL AND AHARON, FLED TO THE FORESTS. 

CHOSEN AS COMMANDER OF A SMALL PARTISAN GROUP, BIELSKI
INVITED THE JEWS REMAINING IN THE REGION’S GHETTOS TO JOIN
HIM. THE BIELSKI BRIGADE SOUGHT TO AVENGE THE MURDER OF
JEWS BY BELORUSSIAN POLICE AND LOCAL FARMERS. OPERATING
FROM DEEP WITHIN THE NALIBOKI FOREST, BIELSKI MADE HIS CAMP
A MAINTENANCE BASE FOR SOVIET FIGHTERS. 

IN THE SUMMER OF 1943, THE NAZIS BEGAN A MASSIVE CRACKDOWN
ON PARTISAN GROUPS. BIELSKI COURAGEOUSLY DISOBEYED A SOVIET
COMMAND TO PARE DOWN HIS UNIT TO UNMARRIED MEN OF FIGHTING
AGE TO ALLOW THE GROUPS TO BETTER RISIST THE NAZI ASSAULTS
FOLLOWING THE ORDER WOULD HAVE MEANT ABANDONING THE
LARGE NUMBER OF CIVILIANS INCLUDING FAMILY MEMBERS
OF THE PARTISANS, WHO CAMPED WITH THE BAND AND LIVED UNDER
ITS PROTECTION. RETREATING TO THE THICKEST PART OF THE FOREST
THE PIELSKI BRIGADE GUARDED A FAMILY CAMP OF MORE THAN
1,200 JEWS UNTIL THE AREA’S LIBERATION A YEAR LATER THIS
WAS THE LARGEST SUCH RESCUE EFFORT OF THE WAR.