Daughter of Holocaust survivor Tuvia Bielski to speak at Al Katz Center May 5
MANATEE -- The Al Katz Center for Holocaust Survivors and Jewish Living will bring history alive through a May 5 presentation from Ruth Bielski Ehrreich.
Ehrreich's father, Tuvia Bielski, was a humble man who, with the help of his brothers and the woman who became his wife, saved 1,200 Jewish lives during the Holocaust.
In 2008, Bielski's story became famous when actor Daniel Craig played him in the movie "Defiance." Her father always said he would be famous after he died, Ehrreich said.
Though she and her siblings did not play a part in casting or direction of the movie's story, Ehrreich visited with the cast and appreciated the care they took in playing the roles of her family.
"Craig said early on that every actor waits for an opportunity for a role they do not just for monetary benefits, but for what they believe in," Ehrreich said. "And that for him was
the role."
During her presentation at the Al Katz Center, Ehrreich won't talk much about the movie that brought her father worldwide acclaim. She'll share stories from her parents' time organizing the partisan community.
Bielski built communities for Jews in the forests of Belorussia (present-day Belarus and Poland) and Beverly Newman, director of the Al Katz Center, said the most important trait of the Bielski Otriad (a brigade of workers) was they accepted all citizens who needed help and a place of refuge.
"Whatever your economic status or your medical status or your mental status, you could be part of the Bielski partisans," Newman said.
"It was the only partisan group that was made up of Jews whose mission was to save Jews," Ehrreich said.
Other partisan groups only accepted people who were able to fight German soldiers, but no matter the age or ability, the Bielski Otriad accepted everyone.
Partisans were groups of Jews who escaped ghettos or concentration camps and created their own fighting units. Partisan groups sheltered Jews and other oppressed groups and fought back against German soldiers. Bielski created the community with hospitals, classrooms, businesses, musicians and other elements of daily life Jews were missing because of the Holocaust.
After the war ended, Bielski moved to Israel and then the United States, where he died at age 81, according to the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation. When he came to the United States from Israel, he became a taxi driver.
"Here's a man who had exhibited extraordinary courage and ingenuity and resourcefulness for years and when he came to America he became a taxi driver and lived a very modest life," Newman said. "For his entire life, he was essentially an unsung hero."
Ehrreich hopes to carry on the message her father originally sent when he and his brothers built the Bielski Otriad.
"It's important for all people to know that not all Jews went willingly to their deaths," Ehrreich said. "There were some amazing stories of Jews who decided they would fight rather than sit and wait for someone to come to their door."
Janelle O'Dea, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7095 or follow her on Twitter @jayohday.
This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 11:28 PM with the headline "Daughter of Holocaust survivor Tuvia Bielski to speak at Al Katz Center May 5 ."