A history of the Beilski Partisans, a forest community which was established in 1942 in western Belorussian and numbered over 1,200 Jews by 1944. The group represents the largest armed rescue operation of Jews by Jews in World War II. Tec describes other partisan movements in the region, showing that while most forest fighters were rifle-carrying young men, the members of the Beilski community included both men and women of all ages, some with weapons, but mostly unarmed. Drawing from survivor partisan interviews, Tec discusses the details of the partisans' daily lives, explores the charismatic leadership of Tuvia Bielski, and outlines the internal processes and structures of the community.

Paperback
416pp
December 2008
ISBN: 0195376854
ISBN-13: 9780195376852