Fighting
in the forests and from the forests was the spearhead of the Jewish resistance
against the Nazi murderers. Jews in their thousands fought in guerilla
operations, which included attacks
on units of German soldiers, blowing-up of bridges, bases and other targets. In
Eastern Europe alone there were approximately
30 Jewish partisan units and another 20 non-Jewish units in which Jews
fought.
Escaping
to the forests was not an obvious thing to do. A number of factors prevented
masses of Jews from moving from the ghettos to the
forests:
1.
Most of the Jews were urban dwellers, and living outdoors in the harsh European
climate would have been difficult for them.
2.
In order to subsist and fight in the forests it was necessary to receive
assistance from the local population with food and arms. Cooperation was not
always forthcoming from the non-Jewish partisans, some of whom even murdered the
Jews because of anti-Semitism or anti-Communism (with which many Jews were
associated).
3.
Leaving for the forests meant leaving family and friends. Those who did leave
the ghetto did it with heavy hearts, and with the knowledge that this was liable
to bring a fatal collective punishment on those remaining in the
ghetto.
Tens
of thousands of Jews survived the horrors of the Holocaust due to their escaping
to the forests of Eastern Europe. They were not
satisfied just to hide, but fought proudly, motivated by the desire to avenge
the murder of their loved ones, and the belief that it was possible to defeat
the Nazi occupier by force. To this day, many of them are still telling the
story of their heroism.
