Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation

In July 1941, anti-Jewish laws were enacted in German-occupied Grodno, Poland, where Rita Yelgin (z"l) was born and raised. Rita and her family were sent to a ghetto where they endured forced labor that included harvesting crops and working in a plywood factory.
When the ghetto was sealed off a year later, Rita watched as dead prisoners were carried away on sleds to a burial site. When liquidation of Rita's ghetto began, she managed to escape to another ghetto in a wagon filled with feather beds.
She escaped again into the nearby woods and waited until dusk to leave. Scared and hungry, she began walking on the main road to Lida, where she'd heard Jewish partisans were located. In that partisan camp, Rita met her future husband, Henry Yelgin, who had smuggled 26 people out of the Grodno Ghetto in a garbage truck one month earlier.
Rita was liberated on July 7, 1944, and was one of only 200 Jews from Grodno to survive the war. Rita, Henry, and their daughter Esther immigrated to the U.S. and settled in the Boston area where they had a son, Louis, in 1954.
Read more about Rita, born June 21, 1921, here: https://www.jewishpartisancommunity.org/.../rita-gurwitz.../

When the Germans occupied Lithuania in June 1941, Betkhe Stul Solc (z''l) was forced into the Lida Ghetto. There, she met Leib Solc (z''l), and the young couple soon fell in love and were married. In September 1943, the N***s liquidated the ghetto. Those remaining were taken away in cattle cars to Majdanek Concentration Camp. Betkhe and Leib were among them.
A young man named Michael Stoll (z''l), who was in the same cattle car, bravely helped his family and many others, including Betkhe and Leib, escape. Betkhe and Leib jumped from the moving train and ran. Under the cover of darkness, they moved from farm to farm and slept in the woods before joining the Bielski Brigade.
Betkhe and Leib stayed with the Bielski Brigade until the end of the war. In October 1948, Betkhe and Leib immigrated to Lima, Peru, where they raised two children.
Pictured below: In 2023, Betke and Leib’s son, Zucel, and granddaughter, Arielle, attended the JPEF Gala in New York City. There they met Michael Stoll, the boy who saved Betkhe and Leib’s lives.
Read more of Betkhe's incredible story here: https://www.jewishpartisancommunity.org/.../betkhe-stul.../

California Educators - Join JPEF for Living and Surviving in the Jewish Partisans during next week's California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education Summer Institute on the UCS Campus. Presented by Sheri Rosenblum and Benjamin Ducoff.

Captured when N***s raided a movie house in Budapest, teenager Alexander White (z’’l) was sent to the infamous Bor slave labor camp in Serbia. Managing to escape into the mountains, he was eventually apprehended by Yugoslavian partisans. After proving he was not a German spy, he was taken to their leader General Tito, who was impressed by the only Jew to escape from Bor.

An excellent marksman and proficient in several languages, Alexander rose quickly through the ranks. He soon became a commander in charge of rounding up German soldiers and interrogating them for information to aid the resistance.

Read more about Jewish partisan Alexander White (z’’l), born in June 1925: https://www.jewishpartisans.org/partisans/alexander-white

At just 12 years old, Philip Lazowski faced unimaginable choices during the Holocaust.

After being separated from his family during a N**i roundup, a courageous woman named Miriam Rabinowitz risked her own life by claiming Philip as her son, saving him from certain death. Months later, as the N***s liquidated the Zhetel Ghetto, Philip’s mother made the ultimate sacrifice by throwing him from a second-story window in a desperate attempt to save his life while she remained behind with his younger siblings.

Alone and on the run, Philip eventually reunited with his father and brother in the forests of N**i-occupied Poland. For more than two years, they survived in hiding, relying on information, food, and support from Jewish partisans and resistance fighters operating in the region.

After the war, Philip immigrated to the United States, became a rabbi, authored numerous books, and devoted his life to serving others. In an extraordinary twist of fate, he was later reunited with the family who had saved him during the Holocaustand eventually married Ruth Rabinowitz, the daughter of the woman who rescued him.

Rabbi Philip Lazowski's story is one of courage, faith, survival, and the enduring power of human kindness in the face of unimaginable evil.

Click the link below to read his full incredible story:
https://www.jewishpartisancommunity.org/partisans/philip-lazowski/HumanResilience

When the N***s invaded Poland, Alex (Chaim Yitzhak) Folkman (z"l) lost nearly everything: his home, his family, and eventually his three brothers. Instead of surrendering to despair, he escaped, survived in hiding, organized resistance efforts, and joined partisan fighters in the forests of Slovakia. Along the way, he sabotaged German operations, helped gather intelligence, and fought alongside Allied forces against the N**i regime.

After the war, Alex discovered that most of his family had been murdered in the Holocaust. Yet he rebuilt his life from nothing, immigrated to the United States with only six dollars in his pocket, became a successful businessman, raised a large family, and remained deeply committed to the Jewish community. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 100, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of courage, resilience, and resistance.

His story is a powerful reminder that Jewish resistance during the Holocaust took many forms and that even in humanity's darkest hour, individuals found ways to fight back.

Click the link below to read Alex Folkman's full incredible story:
https://www.jewishpartisancommunity.org/partisans/alex-chaim-folkman/

Motke Ginsburg (z’’l) and his younger brother Tzalke escaped from the Ivie Ghetto after situating their parents and sisters with friendly peasants. They went to the village of Dokodova, where they were incorporated into the Russian otriad, Iskra.
As Iskra grew into a large brigade of over 200 men, Motke and Tzalke were sent for a course in demolition. The group specialized in sabotage and, during the war, Motke was responsible for blowing up 17 trains loaded with N**i soldiers and war material.
Read more about Jewish partisan Motke Ginsburg (z’’l), born June 6, 1914: www.jewishpartisancommunity.org/partisans/motke-ginsburg/

Esther Ass Klug (z"l) was born on June 5, 1928, in Novogrudok, Poland. German forces entered Novogrudok on July 4, 1941 and occupied the village. The Jews of Novogrudok and its surrounding area were murdered in mass killing operations from July 1941 to May 1943. In December 1941, a ghetto was established where Jewish laborers and their families were concentrated. The Ass family worked outside the ghetto on nearby farms.
When the Germans conducted an Aktion in August 1942, Esther’s sister, Rochel, was tragically killed. The remainder of the Ass family survived.
Esther's brother was the first member of the family to escape the ghetto and join the Bielski Brigade, an all-Jewish partisan group. Each family member left the ghetto on the pretext of fetching water. They removed their identifying badge and fled. Esther escaped the ghetto in September 1943 and became a member of the Bielski Brigade.
Read more of Esther's remarkable story of survival and resilience, newly published at: https://www.jewishpartisancommunity.org/part.../esther-klug/
Photo: Postwar portrait of the Ass family. From left to right are Chana Chamanovitch (their adoptive daughter), Beila, Itka, Yaakov Menachem, Yosef, and Esther

Join JPEF for the Summer Institute for the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education, June 21-24, in Los Angeles. California Educators - there are still ten spaces available for this amazing opportunity. Transportation, lodging, and meals are provided at no cost. Apply today at: https://cateacherscollaborative.org/summer-institute-2026-application/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Learn more about the Collaborative here: https://jewishpartisans.blogspot.com/2026/06/jpef-helps-lead-californias-premier.html

Born in Novogrudok, Poland, Samuel Zelwin came from a respected Jewish family of kosher butchers. When the N***s invaded Poland, Samuel and his family were forced into the Novogrudok Ghetto. After nearly 5,000 Jews were murdered in December 1941, Samuel made a decision: escape or die trying.

He fled into the forests of Belarus and joined the Bielski partisans, one of the largest Jewish resistance groups of World War II. There, he met Chaike Duszkin, who would later become his wife, Ida. They were married in the forest on February 12, 1942.

Together, Sam and Ida risked their lives daily to help others survive. Sam helped secure food for the partisan community and took part in resistance operations against those responsible for the persecution and murder of Jews. Despite unimaginable hardship, the couple never lost their faith, their compassion, or their commitment to helping others.

Their courage saved lives. Their legacy endures.

Today, Samuel and Ida's family includes children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and beyond—a living testament to Jewish resistance and survival. From two young partisans who refused to surrender came generations of life.

The N***s sought to erase them. Instead, Samuel and Ida built a legacy that continues to grow.

That is the power of resistance. That is the power of defiance.