The underground movements in the vilna ghetto vilna during. Coming attractions for you 2020s most anticipated movies. Vilnius remained under soviet control until 26 june 1941, when the city fell to the invading german army wehrmacht. This was one of several resistance operations organized during the holocaust, which were led by zionists or in which zionists participated. The rudniki forests are 35 miles to the south of the city and the narocz forests 125 miles to the east. Located in southern lithuania on the viliya river, vilna is built on river terraces, with the outskirts on densely wooded plateaus. Vilna ghetto uprising, definition zionism and israel. Following the events in the ghetto of the 1st of september 1943, the staff command of the fpo reluctantly decided not to begin a fight to the death. That was a hopeless idea, but the film demonstrates that a hope that time would save the jews was not ridiculous and eventually made sure more of vilnas jews chose not to join the armed insurgents. Warsaw ghetto uprising jewish partisan educational.
Among their many concerns was further endangering the inhabitants of the ghetto. This riveting film recounts the untold story of a handful of jewish youth who organized an underground resistance against the nazis in the lithuanian ghetto of vilna. Yugoslav partisans were a predominantly serb movement into 1943. In july 1942 members of the organisation laid mines on the rail tracks, causing damage to a german train on its way to the front. Vilna jews remained orthodox, traditional, and yiddishspeaking 96. The museums collections document the fate of holocaust victims, survivors, rescuers, liberators, and others through artifacts, documents, photos, films, books, personal stories, and more. By 1939, when the soviets annexed his city, he was firmly established in the community, with a wife and a job at the local fur processing plant.
They carried out dangerous assignments, whenever possible carrying two grenades, one for their target and one for themselves in case of capture. The resistance created hiding places for weapons and prepared to fight the germans. Soviet armies but also civilians, jews, and partisansor people loosely affiliated with them. It recounts the untold tale of the moral dilemmas facing jewish youth who organized an underground resistance in the vilna ghetto, and fought as partisans in the woods against the nazis. Warsaw ghetto uprising jewish partisan educational foundation. Many of the jewish partisans were students, who were young, welleducated and independent, and banded together with russian, polish and lithuanian groups in the surrounding woods. Vilna during the holocaust partisans in vilna the rudniki forest. Abba kovner lived in disguise in a convent at the beginning of the german occupation in 1941. He describes the way the germans avoided panic among the jews. This cultural vitality in many ways marked a continuity with the prewar years.
The film is an account of armed resistance and internal struggles in the vilna ghetto. Abba kovner vilna collections search united states. We will not allow them to take us like sheep to the slaughter. That was a hopeless idea, but the film demonstrates that a hope that time would save the jews was not ridiculous and eventually made sure more of vilna s jews chose not to join the armed insurgents. Partisans in vilna the rudniki forest vilna during the. Jewish partisans from vilna return to the city following liberation.
That is photographer faye schulman on the bottom right. Subsequent rebellions in other ghettos and even in extermination camps drew on the inspiration of the jewish fighters of the warsaw ghetto. But with the german invasion of 1941, all former stability was swept aside. On june 24, 1941, two days after germany launched its surprise attack against the. A group of jewish partisans known as the united partisan organization fareynegte partizaner organizatsye. It was first destroyed by the soviets who, under the terms of the germanrussian pact of nonbelligerence of 1939, swallowed up lithuania and installed a puppet communist. A partisan from vilna by rachel margolis overdrive rakuten. The city of vilna vilnius, known as vilna in yiddish, is the cultural and financial capital of lithuania. The fpo was formed on january 21, 1942 in the vilna ghetto. Highly acclaimed during its theatrical run, the film has been described as a stirring, extremely honest and heart rending celebration new york magazine. Abba kovner, roberta wallach, daniel schneor, joshua waletzky, aviva kempner.
Schulman and the three men had thought that each other had been killed. This film tells the story of the men and women who formed the jewish partisan movement in vilna, lithuania, during world war ii. Partisans from the vilnius vilna ghetto at an assembly of former partisans, photographed beside a memorial tablet at yad vashem in jerusalem. Jewish partisans, who were members of the fpo, left the ghetto and fought as partisans in the rudniki forest. The jewish partisans executed tactical missions including blowing up trains, bridges, police stations, and telegraph lines.
Yivo institute for jewish research, new york, ny 2011 karakare film days, istanbul, turkey 2007 synopsis. He was a central figure in the zionist youth resistance movement in vilna. This film tells the story of the men and women who formed the jewish partisan movement in. A wellproduced and thoughtful piece, partisans of vilna deserves to be seen by all documentary fans and is a necessity for world war ii and jewish. Partisans of vilna 1986 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Sep 18, 2011 in order to ensure that the subtitles are enabled, make sure that the cc button on the video player bar is turned on red. Jewish partisans were fighters in irregular military groups participating in the jewish resistance. Sep 12, 1986 vilna s ghetto is of particular importance as a site of very early organized resistance, even if most of the partisans later fled, fighting alongside soviet troops in the surrounding forest. Photographer faye schulman reunites with three jewish partisans from warsaw. A partisan from vilna a partisan of vilna is the memoir of rachel margolis, the sole survivor of her family, who escaped from the vilna ghetto with other members of the fpo united partisan organization resistance movement and joined the soviet partisans in the forests of lithuania to sabotage the nazis.
Partisans of vilna the untold story of jewish resistance. The fpo established an underground printing press in vilna and later in the ghetto which served to print posters calling for resistance to the germans. This documentary recounts the untold tale of the jewish resistance during world war ii, and the moral dilemmas facing the jewish youth who organized an underground resistance in the vilna ghetto. The fareynikte partizaner organizatsye was a jewish resistance organization based in the vilna ghetto that organized armed resistance against the nazis during world war ii. He commanded an underground partisan resistance group throughout the war. National center for jewish film, located at brandeis university. This was the first jewish resistance organization that was established in the ghettos of nazioccupied europe during world war ii, followed by lachwa underground formed in august 1942. A partisan from vilna by rachel margolis overdrive. Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more footer. Also here is a 29page study guide, with historical background, questions for discussion, a timeline and a stellar bibliography that will be perfect for.
The film features 40 interviews with the former partisans in hebrew, yiddish, and english, interspersed with rare archival footage. The underground movements in the vilna ghetto vilna. National center for jewish film this extraordinary film tells the story of the men and women who formed the jewish partisan movement in vilna, lithuania, during world war ii. Also, it should be kept in mind that until the middle of the war the partisans were in control of relatively large liberated areas only in parts of bosnia. The einsatzgruppen and their ss and policemen cohorts were charged with the murder of communists and, especially, jews. Please login or register to borrow, download, or purchase resources. Jewish fighters in ww2 the jewish partisans on jewish. Holocaust survivors from vilna describe being partisans in the forests. Inspired by the news of the warsaw ghetto uprising, the song was adopted as the official anthem of the vilna partisans shortly after it was composed in 1943, and spread with remarkable rapidity to other ghettos. Leib szapirstein on the right, nisan reznik second from the right, yitzhak kowalski third from the right, elchanan telerant third from the left, elchanan chanan. The warsaw ghetto uprising was not the first or last episode of physical resistance to the nazis in jewish ghettos or camps, but it was the largest and most sustained of those efforts. In order to ensure that the subtitles are enabled, make sure that the cc button on the video player bar is turned on red.
Fpo was formed in 1942 and operated within the ghetto. Search below to view digital records and find material that you can access at our library and at the shapell center. Vilna was the heart of jewish scholarship and set the tone for the moderate, scholarly, and moral lithuanian jewish community. An enormously riveting and inspirational tale of wwii and the holocaust, partisans of vilna chronicles the amazing endeavors of the jewish. Off english spanish latin america in his testimony for usc shoah foundation, holocaust survivor jack arnel describes what he saw as a 12yearold when the nazis occupied vilna, lithuania in 1941. Vitka kovner, partisan, passes away at the age of 92. Jewish partisans vilna and kovno defending history. This documentary recounts the untold tale of the jewish resistance during world war ii. Members of the fareynikte partizaner organizatsye, active in the vilna ghetto. With abba kovner, alexander bogen, roberta wallach. Apr 26, 2005 an audio cd of yiddish songs from the film, mostly inspired or written by the fighting partisans themselves, is accompanied by a 10page yiddish and english songbook with voluminous notes. Vilna ghetto uprising revolt against the nazis led chiefly by zionist groups in 1943, by yitzhak wittenberg of the communist youth and abba kovner of hashomer hatzair.
Despite the conditions, the inmates of the vilna ghetto established a vast array of cultural, intellectual and artistic organisations. Gradually united through skirmishes in the ghettos of vilna now vilnius, scattered partisans formed a commando unit which took to the forests to battle german forces through sabotage and mayhem. The vilna ghetto was a world war ii jewish ghetto established and operated by nazi germany in the city of vilnius in the territory of naziadministered reichskommissariat ostland. Jews went passively to the gas chambers and israel was gods answer to the holocaust. Partisans of vilna national center for jewish film. Countering fascism in lithuania, latvia, estonia, hungary, ukraine.
Beginning with an account of rachels life as a precocious, privileged girl in prewar vilna, it goes on to. A partisan of vilna is the memoir of rachel margolis, the sole survivor of her family, who escaped from the vilna ghetto with other members of the fpo united partisan organization resistance movement and joined the soviet partisans in the forests of lithuania to sabotage the nazis. This was the first jewish resistance organization that was established in the ghettos of nazioccupied europe during world war ii, 2 followed by lachwa underground formed in august 1942. The partisan rachel rudnitzki together with other armed partisans in the streets of vilna during the. Here too though, they experienced antisemitism and resentment. An enormously riveting and inspirational tale of wwii and the holocaust, partisans of vilna chronicles the amazing endeavors of the jewish resistance fighters. It recounts the untold tale of the moral dilemmas facing jewish youth who organized an underground resistance in the vilna ghetto, and fought as. A group of armed jewish partisans that had fought in the forests around the city, in vilna vilna after the liberation, july 1944.
Vilnas ghetto is of particular importance as a site of very early organized resistance, even if most of the partisans later fled, fighting alongside soviet troops in the surrounding forest. Partisans of vilna 1986 partisans of vilna is a featurelength documentary film that explores jewish resistance during world war ii. The vilna ghetto had a significant jewish resistance movement. Partisans of vilna the songs of world war ii jewish resistance produced by henry sapoznik and josh waletzky flying fish, fly 450, 1989 now distributed by rounder records.
569 1248 95 263 401 1515 457 1052 139 813 128 404 732 1597 1204 747 1314 516 95 785 1122 1364 1546 40 1286 1576 1538 688 634 823 703 1406 699 640 349 626 871 304 174 1103 1099 505 211 443 540 919 1278