Tuvia Bielski

The Three Bielski Brothers (http://www.tampabay.com/news/religion/article904100.ece)

Tuvia Bielski: The Moses of World War II

It is hard to find courage and a leader in dark times. Let alone three heroes, but the Bielski brothers were three brothers who truly showed courage and leadership skills. The three brothers would save 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. Although all three brothers were leaders in the Jewish resistance, or also known as the Bielski partisans. Tuvia Bielski (the oldest brother) was the head leader of the resistance. Tuvia and his two brothers Asael and Zus were millers along with their other brothers and their mom and dad. But when the Nazis started to form ghettos Tuvia, Asael, and Zus were the only ones in their family to escape. The three brothers ran to the nearby forest Naliboki. There they found others and the brothers decided to take leadership. Some called him the Jewish Moses because like Moses he defied the law and took people who were being mistreated and was fighting for their right. He also tried to avoid violence but if he needed to get his hands dirty he would. Tuvia’s unending courage and his leadership skills not only makes him a hero but a world class role model for many people.

Tuvia in his Polish army uniform (http://www.j-grit.com/resisters-tuvia-bielski-partisan-leader.php)

Tuvia Bielski showed his courage by taking the responsibility of his fellow Jews. He never was asked to take on this role but he felt he needed to and would also make a principal mission. “Tuvia Bielski’s principal mission was to save the lives of all of his fellow Jews” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) this meant the old the young and man and woman. Tuvia didn’t have to take in every Jew but he wanted to save all and not just the strong and young men, but also the women and the old and most importantly the children. He did this knowing they were all being hunted by the Nazis and that the children, woman and the old would slow them down in almost all areas. Tuvia had very little to use to his advantage, he was constantly being hunted and had to battle the elements of the forest. But he did have one thing that would help his resistance grow. “Tuvia whose fluency in several languages and physical appearance allowed him to pass as a non-Jew, so he made frequent trips to the ghettos to ask Jews to come with him to the forest”(Gale group). Tuvia used his appearance as an advantage to sneak Jews out of the ghetto. He could have easily just left them all to die and leave to Germany or somewhere because he did not look like a Jew. Tuvia was a brave and courage leader who put his fellow Jew first and would always jump at the chance to help them.

Tuvia was a great leader but had the help of his two brothers, but being the oldest he took the leadership over everyone. Tuvia was selfless and showed great leadership skills. The Bielski brothers escaped with only their lives in mind when they went to the forest for shelter but when they found family and neighbors they decided to stay and take leadership. The three brothers stayed to be the leaders of a bigger group where it would be easier for the Germans to kill or capture them, when they could have easily survived on their own. But the brothers knowing the risk Tuvia took leadership of them. If not for the Bielski brothers many Jews would have died in the ghettos or would have been captured by the Nazis. “The group saved more than 1200 Jews from the Holocaust the systematic state-sponsored murder of Jews and the others by the Nazis” (World Book). Every life saved was because of Tuvia and his brothers, without leaders you don’t have a resistance. More credit is due to Tuvia because he was the leader of the Bielski brothers and because he made sure all Jews were accepted. Due to Tuvia’s leadership skills, 1200 Jews were saved.

From the movie "Defiance, Tuvia in the Ghetto" (http://www.jweekly.com/)

Tuvia’s world class leadership skills and unlimited amount of courage saved the lives of 1200 Jews for two years. Tuvia was an inspiration to many people for showing that you don’t need to let bad things happen to you and that you can stand up and fight for your right for freedom. Without Tuvia and his two brothers many lives would have been lost and we wouldn’t have one of the greatest Jewish resistance stories of that time. Tuvia’s life may have ended in 1987 but his legacy will live on for eternity.

Works Consulted

“Defiance: The Bielski Partisans.” Publisher Weekly 240.24 (1993): 57. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Apr. 2011.

Holdsworth, Nick. “Auds deny ‘Defiance’: pic sees did in Warshaw” Daily Variety 302.46 (2009): 5. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Apr. 2011.

Nazis.(NATIONAL).” The St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL). (Nov 15, 2008): 1A. Student Resource Center – Gold. Gale. DEL NORTE HIGH SCHOOL. 1 Apr. 2011

Porter-Szucs, Brian. “Bielski partisans.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web. 1 Apr. 2011