at Chabad of the Berkshires
450 South Street
Pittsfield, MA
Program includes Ma'ariv and Lamentation
On the evening of Monday, July 15th Tisha Bav at 8:30 PM Mr. Michael Stoll a Holocaustsurvivor saved by the Bielski brothers will be giving a talk about his survival in the forest with the help of the Bielski brothers.
The 2008 Movie “Defiance” is based on three brothers who formed the Bielski partisan group in Poland/Belarus during the World War II-era Holocaust. The partisans were led by brothers Tuvia, Asael and Zus Bielski who, in 1941, created a village in a dense Polish forest they had known since childhood; the makeshift village eventually sheltered more than 1,200 Jews.
With the help of others who sought refuge from the Nazis, the partisan band built communal kitchens, living quarters, schools, synagogues, a bakery, and even created a theater company. As the Germans searched for the partisans, the group collected weapons and explosives and destroyed German targets until the region was liberated by the Russian army in July 1944.
The Bielski brothers were the subject of "Defiance," a 2008 film that told
the story of how the brothers transformed persecution and violence into
honor and salvation. The partisans orchestrated one of the largest rescues
of Jews by Jews during World War II, and there are approximately 20,000
descendants of the men, women and children who survived because of the
Bielski group.
Mr. Michael Stoll will address the crowd and then have questions and answers to follow.
Call 413.499.9899 for details and questions