Event Details

In this seminar hosted by the Centre for War and Diplomacy, Dr Daniela Ozacky Stern will present her research on Jewish partisans serving in Lithuania and Belarus during the Second World War.

'Between Survival and Resistance: Jewish Partisans in The Second World War'

During the Second World War and the Holocaust, Jews joined Soviet partisan units in order to survive, resist and to fight back against the Germans and their collaborators. The case study of the Jewish Partisans in Lithuania and Belarus is a piece of the greater story of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. It is a story of extraordinary human endurance, which emerged out of a wide spectrum of human qualities. Joining the Partisan movement created an opportunity for young Jews to fight back and exact revenge. Whilst in the ghettos, they prepared to fight the Germans by purchasing arms and training for military actions. These exercises faired them well as they executed various guerilla operations behind German lines.

These grand tales of heroism must not overshadow that dilemmas they faced. Beginning with escaping from the ghettos to the surrounding forests,these fighters had to leave their family, meet up with Soviet Partisans, and gain acceptance into unwelcoming units. This is all with no previous military experience.

Beyond raging anti-Semitism amongst the Soviet Partisans, these Jews had to cope with the harsh realities of life in the forest. Safe hiding, shelter,and reliable food rations were all reliant on maintaining friendly relations with the local population, knowing well that one wrong move meant certain death.

Dr. Daniela Ozacky Stern is a Post-doctoral researcher in the Institute of Holocaust Research at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. Her new research, titled 'The Escape of Jews to the Forests in Lithuania and Belarus During the Holocaust', was conducted at Yad Vashem’s International Institute for Holocaust Research. This is in parallel with her roles as the Director of the Moreshet Holocaust Archive in Givat Haviva, Israel, and as a Lecturer for Western Galilee College’s Holocaust Studies program, in Akko.

Dr.Ozacky-Stern earned her Ph.D. in Jewish History at The University of Haifa,Israel, studying the Second World War's Jewish partisans who were active in the forests of Lithuania and Belarus. Her Master's thesis on Nazi propaganda led by Joseph Goebbels during the last year of the Second World War was published as a book by Moreshet Publishing.