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Rod'keh Mayewsky

(From the left): The brothers, Lejzor & Joseph Mayewsky; Abraham Rudnick (Abir), Meir Zager

Also, my wife and child had run outside through the lower window into the garden, where a hideout had been prepared. There was always water there, bread, and a candle, because our little child, Sender'keh, was afraid to sit in the dark.

The hideout, which had been made two months before, was well constructed with a special little concrete door. I had to be the last one to go inside, in order to be able to close the door in a way that it would not be detected. At that moment, a neighbor approached – Abraham'l from Kazlouscyna and asked to be let into the hideout. Despite the fact that there was no room, he also came in with us. We locked ourselves in, and remained quiet, sitting in the hideout. During the long hours we heard screaming. Suddenly we heard sounds coming close to the hideout.

The murderers looked into a nearby closet, and one even threw in a match after he had lit a cigarette. A lit match actually did fall into our hideout. We were certain, that a fire would start, and we will be burned up. Nobody could imagine that underneath was a hiding place and that living people were hiding there.

That day, we spent in the dark cellar, and as soon as it began to get dark, I decided that on this very night we must get away from here as quickly as possible, because the situation, come morning, will be worse: they will begin to search for the hidden people, as soon as they will have killed all the Jews in the houses. Abraham'l asked where we were planning to go. I answered that first, we have to run through the ghetto, and then we will see. Abraham'l went up and into his house in order to hear if his family was ready to go, and also to see if his friend, Ab'eh Wilika is still there. A quarter of an hour later, he came back with the news that the hideout is open and there is no one there.

The time was too short to make other plans. We immediately went off in the direction of the street. It was a quiet night, and all we heard was the tread of the murderous gendarmes, who were making their guard post rounds. While carrying the child in my arms, my wife and I, and also Abraham'l went past Schneider's hotel. We passed through the street – and reached the small river Kanarika without incident. There, we became confused, and instead of crossing the river to the other side, we went along its shore and reached the mill, where the water was deep. Abraham'l took note of this, and said that if we go this way, we will end up back

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in the city, and fall into the hands of plunderers. We therefore went into the river, into the depth of its water, each of us holding onto the other by our hands. In this way, we came to the burial place that lead to Belica. Abraham'l preferred to go to his region – Kazlouscyna, where he had possessions stashed with a Christian and he was certain that they would hide him for the duration of the war. He also convinced us to go with him. I preferred to go in the direction of Belica, with the hope of yet being able to meet with members of my family. I had 250 rubles, and I shared the money with him. and we parted. He went off his way, and we went our way, in the direction of Belica.

Approaching the yard of Zikowszczina, we heard footsteps. We stood a still as stone. I thought about running into the nearby field of corn. However, the thought occurred to me that perhaps these were not Germans, because otherwise, they would have shot at us. When we got closer to those who were coming after us, we saw them to be Belica Jews, who had fled the ghetto. We were very happy to see them. The people were: Mul'yeh Shimonowicz with his wife and children, and also the children of Lejzor Kreinowicz: Velvel, Mash'keh and Faygl. They helped us carry our child for several kilometers.

At the village of Novoselki, Mul'yeh asked me where we were going. I told him that we were going to the Christian Koszko. Mul'yeh said to me, that he too was going to him, but he does not know, will he have enough room for everyone? Mul'yeh and his family went on further, and we arrived at Koszko's house and knocked at the window. He did not want to open up, and did not permit us to come in to his place. It vexed us sorely at that time, that we had to be parted from Mul'yeh's family.

It was left for us to go into the forest, closer to Belica. The first night, it was frightening to lie under the swaying trees. The echoes of the voices and screaming of the hapless victims in the ghetto, continued to reverberate in our ears, at the time they were thrown out of their houses, and dragged like animals to death. It was very cold at night, and we huddled one against the other. We were afraid to speak, in order that we not be overheard. The dried out twigs would snap and make noise whenever one took a step. Nevertheless, one felt more secure, because it was, after all, a forest, and during an attack, it would be possible to flee.

We awoke quite early, and hear footfall not far from us. Through the thick bushes, we saw people passing through, and we recognized the children of Chaim Reuven – Nach'keh and his sister Frad'keh with her husband, and brother Henokh. We were not certain of this, but still, we hoped that someone was still left alive. From this alone, our hearts became lighter. Several hours later, the following went by: Vikhn'eh, Chaim Reuven's wife, and Sarah'keh her daughter, and we were very happy with them. Now we were certain that those, who had previously gone by were Nach'keh and his family. We drew closer to them, and we obtained a greeting from those who had remained alive. They also told us, that their son, Henokh was wounded, when he fled the ghetto. He has to be carried, because the wound is in his foot. Vikhn'eh with Sarah'keh did not sit long with us. they were afraid that our child would start to cry.

Vikhn'eh said that she was thirsty, and would go to a Christian that she knew to get a bit of soup. I begged her not to go in the middle of the day, since Germans and Christians were in the vicinity, and they could seize her. She did not hear this, and went off. About 20 minutes later, she returned with a Christian. He was named Makhna and worked with the Germans. I said to her, 'What have you done? He will inform on us, and we will all be killed.' Vikhn'eh calmed us down, and said that he was a good, well-known friend of hers, and will not do us any harm. I gave him my last 150 rubles and asked him that he should not do anything to us, and take pity on the child.

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The Christian went away, and an hour later, shooting started in the forest, over our heads. Our Sender'l became frightened, and began to cry intensely. And as soon as one tried to close his mouth, he would cry even harder. We suffocated him, and then the shooting also dies down. We decided to flee as fast as possible even deeper into the forest. In running this way, we encountered Yankl and Lejz'keh, Zalman-Joch'eh's sons, with their sister Chaya-Cherna. I begged them strongly that they should not abandon us, but to remain as one company. They were like God's emissaries for us, and indeed, we were together for the entire time. From that day on, the frightful life in the forest began for us, never knowing what a new morning would bring for us. We survived the forest for a bit under two years, with other Belica Jews who had remained alive.

My brother, David, and great-aunt and her daughter were killed in the Second Great Slaughter. My brother Shlomo and his wife Bash'keh and Faygl Ben-Zion's children were killed by a Christian, where they had hidden themselves.

My wife and I and my son, Sender, as well as my brother Lejzor with his wife Perl'eh survived living in the forest. The youngest brother Asher, survived the war as a soldier with the Russians. We all live in America, in New York.

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The mass-aktion, to exterminate all the hapless Jews of the ghetto, began early in the morning. The people awoke in the morning from the shooting and the murderous noise. The panic became great, an alarm, fleeing, with running back and forth and there is no place to hide. The yards and streets are full of men, women and children, all confused, and [still] sleepy. Frightened, everyone is pushing one another, with pale faces, to get nearer to the ghetto gate or the high barbed wire, looking for some way to run away from the slaughter.

Others attempt to break through the cordon of the thick guard, that had surrounded the ghetto, and flee into the forest, or into the corn of the nearby fields. a group of young people, boys and girls, broke through the cordon, but intense gunfire erupted in the direction of those fleeing, and tens of those young lives from the Zhetl ghetto fell.

The murderers did not enter the ghetto until nine o'clock, contenting themselves with shooting from the other side of the barrier. When they received the order to go in, they broke down the high barriers and burst through like wild animals into the Jewish houses. The murderers drove everyone to the marketplace, and there, they sorted out 220 craftsmen, among them 18 women, who were later sent off to Novogrudok in the labor camp. Another 100 men were sent to work in Smolensk and Vitebsk, where almost all of them died of hunger. all the remaining Jews were taken in a column to the Zhetl cemetery, where all of them were shot, a group at a time. This was the first day of the slaughter, and in the following days, they would seize people who had been in hideouts, bringing them to the cinema [building] convey them to the cemetery and shoot them there. In the course of seven days, the murderers made Zhetl 'Judenrein,'but leaving one female dentist and three leather craftsmen.

At the time that the slaughter commenced, the residents of the house went down into the cellar that had previously been prepared, and had previously provisioned in the event of a slaughter. The entrance into the hideout was from the yard, near the pen for a small white goat, the one asset in the ghetto, that provided suck for the infants. At the side of the entrance, a pipe had been built in to permit a little bit of air to get in that could be breathed, during the time it was necessary to sit there. The entrance to the cellar was external to the house, so that it would be possible to flee, if the entrance were to be discovered, or in the case that an incendiary bomb will ignite the house itself.

It was in this very cellar that forty souls crammed themselves in, but there was only room for twenty-five. The crowding was substantial, the air – dense, and the little children began to cry and scream. One little girl was immediately suffocated, not having any air to breath. Her parents, who also could not sustain themselves, went out, and hid themselves in the attic. The Christians, who were plundering the houses took note of them, and turned them over to the police, and they were shot on the spot. From the cellar, we heard the cries at the time

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they were beaten, and thrown down from the attic to the ground. The murderers heard the cries coming from the hideout, and attempted to find the entrance.

It was so hot [and stifling] inside, that everyone had to undress to complete nakedness. No match could be kept lit in the stifling density of the air. The women would fall faint and there was not a drop of water with which to revive them. My father went deaf, and could not hear a word. A few days went by this way, and we could not see any possibility of saving ourselves, apart from remaining alive in this dark cellar. My brother and I would go outside each night, and bring back something to eat, and water, from the destroyed neighboring houses.

One day, before dawn, my father, brother and I went out to fetch water, because our mother was feeling bad. My brother went into the house, my father – for his need, along with me, went into a neighbor's house. There, I found water, and returning to the hideout, I saw my father standing in the gateway talking to a Byelorussian policeman. The policeman was asking him for documents, and ordered him to go with him to the cinema building. My father began to plead with him, and told him that he worked in a nearby factory, and promised to bring him a pair of boots. The murderer released my father, who immediately went off and brought my boots. The murderer took them and left, and it was already daylight outside, when the policeman turned back with the boots and called out: 'take your boots, they are too small.'

My brother overheard this, and he immediately entered the hideout and we closed ourselves in. Later on, a group of S.S. troops arrived, and sought the entrance to the cellar. They were not able to find it, and so they posted a special guard to watch over the cellar area, and find us. We were all seized with a terrible fright. We took counsel and decided that we would flee during the coming night. In the meantime, a woman from Belica went out (Malka Kremen) to bring back something for her child to eat. The guard detained her. She bought her way out of this for a little golden watch, and came back into the cellar.

There were five little children in the cellar, who decided that no matter what, they were going to leave that night. We discussed that, in the event that it will be still, meaning that the posted guard is not there, at that time, we all must leave, and rejoin at a previously designated spot outside of the town. We waited until midnight, and at that time, the five youngsters took a heartfelt leave of their families, hugging each other strongly, kissing and crying, as the heart was telling them this could be the last time they would see one another.

On the night of Monday, into Tuesday, August 11, 1942 after midnight, the five youngsters left the yard, and breathed the fresh summer air. the night was very still, and every move of the leaves in the trees was audible. After waiting for a few minutes, they quickly ran through the streets, and came to a garden, where they lay down and caught their breath. They then arose, and went off in the darkened gloom of the night, until they arrived at the barbed wire fence. One after another, they got through to the other side of the ghetto, tore off their yellow, bloodied badges, and quickly began getting away from the place. After ten minutes of walking, they found themselves already to be outside of the city, entered a corn field, and began to wait at the previously designated place. After waiting for several hours, in strong impatience, it began to dawn. They

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went off to the nearby woods, and spent the day there. At nightfall, they went off to a peasant that they knew. They entreated him strongly to go into the shtetl, and see what was going on.

On the following day, they sat in the same woods again, about 4 km from the shtetl. Suddenly, they heard the sound of machine gun fire, and they understood that an assault was taking place against Jews fleeing from the ghetto. Towards evening, the peasant returned from the shtetl, and related that he did not encounter any of the families in the cellar, and that they had all been captured, led off to the cinema building, from where they would be taken to the place of the slaughter. The five young people thought about going back into the city, on the hope that perhaps something will enable them to save their families. However, the Christian said that he was not really sure they would be held until tomorrow evening. He was almost certain that they would be taken to their deaths early the next morning. On that morning, he, again, went back into the town, and that night, they came to him yet again, to get news that they had been taken to their death on that day. The sole young person from Belica (Fyv'eh Lozowsky) in the group who had saved himself at that time, later told that my mother pleaded with the thieves, that they should at least release the youngest sister, and not send her to death., but nothing helped.

On August 17, 1942 the five young people arrived in the Ludichi Forest. At night, they would go out into the filed and pick potatoes, and procure a bit of bread from the peasants in the village. One time, they went out at night, and in a village not far from the forest, noted the presence of a group of Jews from Zhetl, who were going in the direction of the village. The Jews told of what was going on, and who had managed to save themselves, and were also to be found in the same forest, not far away. They also told that Chaim-Leib Boczkowsky was killed near the bridge of the village of Nesilovtsy, after he had ridden with the murderers into Belica, and shown them the place where he had hidden leather, despite the fact that they had promised him they would spare his life for doing so.

The five young people decided the leave the forest, and go to the forests around Belica, where they had peasants that they knew. One of them was well oriented to reading the stars, and because of this, they did not lose their way. By day, they would rest in the forest, and during the nights – they would go. During two nights, they reached the forests at Zachepichi, exhausted and frightened of the fear of death. On the third night, they arrived at the village of Koroli. Hunger oppressed them severely, and so they passed through gardens, tearing out vegetables to eat. On the morning, they came to the large forest, not far from the village of Zachepichi, and spent the day in that forest. As soon as it became dark, they decided to go to a known peasant at night, in the village of Korshaki and to ask for something to eat. Upon arriving, he brought out a bit of bread, and informed them that they should quickly flee, because he was even afraid to speak to them.

Not far from the end of the village of Zachepichi, they were suddenly noticed, and began shouting at them in Russian: 'Halt! Who goes there?' All of them remained standing out of great fear, thinking that these were surely Byelorussian policemen, who are hunting for Jews that have escaped from the ghetto. 'Let one of you approach us, while the others are to remain standing, without moving,' ordered their commander. The oldest of the five young people went off to them, and saw a group (of 18 men) all with guns in their hands, but not dressed like Byelorussian police. He told them who these five young people were, and then the commander called out: 'All of you come closer, and sit down, we are Russian partisans, and do not be afraid.'

The happiness was great, indescribable, literally having risen alive from the dead. That same night, the Jews

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went off to the village of Novoselki, gathered up eggs, bread, butter, milk, and upon their return, build a large fire, and they cooked and fired. The partisans learned to love the few Jews. The commander would always say: 'Eat children, make sure you are full.'

After five days, a group of eleven partisans separated themselves off, and went east, to the front. The Jews strongly requested that they be taken along, but the commander said: 'We cannot take you along. for the time being, remain here, with the second group.' We had enough to eat, because we were secure with the partisans behind our backs, and so the Jews stayed with them. A couple of days later, the second group of seven men also left, and no pleading to be taken along was of any avail. They advised the group to get nearer to the Lipiczany Forest, where many partisans can be encountered. They told them to make a wooden gun, which will protect them from death and get them food.... they took their leave of their charges, left the remains of their food behind, and went away.

On that same night, two of the young people took off in the direction of the Lipiczany Forest. Along the way, they would enter the homes of peasants and brandish their wooden guns, take food, ask for directions, and continue their journey. After several nights, they arrived at the forest, where there already were several Jewish families, living in huts made of branches or fabric. Also, a fighting brigade was beginning to be organized, made up of only Jewish partisans, under the leadership of Herschel Kaplinsky of Zhetl. the brigade at that time, already stood at 150 men. The two young people from the group decided to join the ranks of this brigade, to exact vengeance on behalf of their nearest and dearest.

The question still stood: where can [real] guns be procured? One of the two went off to the Jews of the Dereczin camp, to buy arms there. Later on, both of the young men went to Zhetl Jews that they knew, to hear news about Jewish people, who had fled Zhetl, and are found in the Dvarec ghetto. At that time, it was told that two girls from Belica had arrived in the forest from the camps where there were Belica families. Belica Jews also began to organize themselves in the Zachepichi forests, not far from Belica. Because of this, these two young people went off to them in their brigade, and received a personal message from their father, and they were told that he is alive and can be found in the forest living alone, not far from the village of Bondary. Previously he had been their with his family, but now he is alone, with Christians he knew.

On that same night, these two young people left to the Zachepichi forest, to find out their father's situation, as well as to be with Jews from Belica. Two armed young men from Zhetl accompanied them, and they traveled for two nights, until they came to a house in the forest – the house of the peasant Szawel, who was a liaison for the Jews (his house was close to the huts of the Belica family groups). The peasant, despite the fact that he was very frightened by arms, did not want to, under any circumstances, tell anything about the Jews. He argued that he knows absolutely nothing. Before dawn, they forced their way into another house in the forest, but here too, the peasant refused to answer any questions about Jews. Only when the sun began to rise, did they observe a column of smoke – a sign of nearby huts. Following the smoke, that went off and reached the huts. Not far from the huts, they noticed Joseph Lozowsky. He brought them to the fire, where

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the escaped remnants from Belica were concentrated, and told them about their father, that for the longer period of time, was to be found with the family of Chaim-Reuven, and later went off not far from Bondary, and is living there alone. Herzl-Zalman's indicated the direction – the way to go, and led them to the principal trail, which led to the village of Nesilovtsy, entering the first house of a peasant known to them, who led them across the rivulet Molczadka. They followed the trail that went in the direction of Bondary. That day, they remained sitting in the forest, and in the evening, when it became dark, they entered the village and went to a peasant they knew. He told them, that their father had come to him a couple of times and had taken bread, and he spent the night in the stable of a neighbor, but he does not know where in the forest he can be found. So they went into the neighbor, and he advised them to wait until nightfall, and perhaps their father would come for bread.

The night passed, but their father did not come. So they made an agreement with the peasant to meet in the forest, and together to search for him, according to the signs. They spent several hours reconnoitering the forest, calling and shouting, but nobody within earshot answered. The same happened for the second and third day. After a couple of weeks of searching, it began to rain heavily. The two young people huddled together, and sat on the cold, wet ground, and the rain fell on them, day and night. A couple of days later, it stopped raining, and they went back to the village, again to the same peasant, who had told them that he heard from the mieszczany in Belica, that their father can be found on the Neman River ferry. A week went by, and they did not find him on the ferry either, because when they finally arrived at night, the ferry had sailed to the other side of the river. On one occasion, before nightfall, when they approached the village, the previously mentioned peasant met them and told them that their father was now on the ferry. Breathlessly, they ran to the river, and arriving at the place, they saw many peasants and among them indeed – their father. Tears welled up in their eyes, but they did not dare to say anything for fear of the peasants, despite the fact that their hearts were full of so many things to say and tell during the two months that they had searched for their father.

The father told his children what had happened after they had been captured in the cellar, in which they had hidden themselves, during the mass slaughter in the Zhetl ghetto. That Tuesday, a peasant stole the remaining things from their house, entered the pen, and took away the little goat, which stood on the door to the hideout. The peasant began to push on the entrance because it was ajar to let in some fresh air. He immediately went off to call the police. The murderers then uncovered the hideout, and led everyone out onto the yard, but he was able to hide himself under the wall of the house. One other Jew ran into the house with him, and both hid themselves, at the time that the murderers led everyone else off to the cinema, among them also our mother and youngest sister ע”ה.

On the second day, everyone was led out of the town, and shot (25 Av, in the year 1942). Hundreds of Jews were killed at that time, among them many from Belica: Yitzhak Kamenietsky's wife, Hasia, and little son Alinka; her sister Bayl'keh and son Chaim'keh; Chaya-Gitt'l Lozowsky and three children; Fyv'eh Savitzky's wife Dvora'keh and little daughter Leah'leh, and others.

He alone, our father continued to tell – remained hidden under the wall until the autos moved off, and then

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he crawled up to the attic of a neighboring house where he hid himself behind a large mirror. When it became dark, Christian robbers came up to the attic. Fortunately, the robbers did not detect him, and went away. When it became fully dark, he came down from the attic, and went off in the direction of Belica. After two days walking, he came to the Zachepichi Forest. In the village of Zachepichi he met Nachman, who was glad to see him, and took him into his hut together with the family. However, he could not sit and eat their food, being unable to offer them anything in return. Cold nights began to arrive, and he had no clothing which to cover himself, so he decided to get closer to those peasants whom he knew, and was certain that they will help to sustain him. And it was in this manner that he got to the ferry, and there, alone, he managed to survive until they looked him up.

When their father had composed himself after relating his experience, it began to feel better, and the wound healed, all three decided to go back to the huts of the Belica group. At about midnight, they came to the rivulet Molczadka, the weather was already cold, and a minimal white frost covered the ground. There was no boat with which to cross the rivulet, and they had to undress and ford the river naked, in order to bring the boat from the other side for their father. The cold water cut through the skin like knives, and emerging from the other side, one shuddered from the cold, and one's feet burned from the frost. On the second side of the river, not far from the village of Nesilovtsy, they warmed themselves up a bit, dried themselves off, and went on further, until they reached the huts of the group. This was in a wood, not far from the shack of the peasant Szawel, near Mayek, surrounded by the fields of the village of Zbljany, on the banks of the Neman River. Wide meadows stretched out for kilometers along the banks of the Neman. The forests of Dubov and the woods of Bjarozauka.

The huts were concentrated in a thick wood, far from the road. They were made of earth of foliage from juniper trees. There was a fireplace beside each hut, where food was cooked, as well as warming one's cold extremities. Sleeping was on the ground, covered with a bit of straw.

Almost everyone who survived from Belica was found in this group, and everyone was happy with the arrival of three more Jews from Belica that had saved themselves, and began to build a hut for themselves where to lodge. Our father was lucky to be together with us, and not to wander about alone in the large forest. Day and night, we spoke and reminded ourselves of the bloody events, and there was not enough talk. When night came, all the young men got themselves up and went to the surrounding villages to peasants they knew, in order to procure foodstuffs and clothing.

When the rains and snows began to intensify, and it was no longer possible to live under the open sky, we began to build zemlyankas. At the end of the year 1942, in a severe snowstorm, Fyv'eh Savitzky ע”ה found an appropriate place in the forest for this, where, in the space of three days, the first zemlyanka was completed. A small iron stove was procured from a peasant, for heat, and everyone would revive themselves with the ensuing warmth. In a short time, several additional families joined, and it became something of a shtetl.

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Very often, we would be joined by Jews that had saved themselves from the slaughter at Dvarec, among whom there were two girls from Belica, as well as Rachel Itzkowitz, Shmuel-Shimon Burstein (Shmuel-Shimon, the tailor's grandson), R' Yosh'eh Wolkowysky (Moshe 'Tzal'yeh-Leib's son), and Itcheh-Yankl the tailor's son-in-law. The girls eventually found their families and went off to them, but the three solitary men had no one to who they could cleave, and they built a zemlyanka for themselves. R' Yosh'eh knew many of the local peasants in the villages, and would help the two men who were with him.

On July 15, 1942, all three of them went to the village of Stoky to procure something to eat. At the time they were coming back, they entered the village of Zbljany, where on the same night a punitive brigade of Latvians came riding in. This guard detained them and asked who they were, and old Yosh'eh replied: We are locals, on your side. The murderers seized them and shot them on the spot. And the Christians buried them in the same place.

It didn't take long, and the news came that all of the nearby villages were occupied by Germans and Ukrainians. There was no place to run, because of the cold and the frost, but despite this, we were more secure here than in the ghetto, despite the fact that every day we waited for these bandits, and were also on our guard, listening in on, and watching all the roads around the forest.

On December 20, 1942 machine gun fire was heard nearby, not far from the zemlyanka of Chaim-Reuven's family. A great fright seized everyone. Still warm from sleep, everyone dressed quickly, and fled in all directions. The gunfire grew stronger, and when the voices of the feral murderers drew closer, we all went into a hideout, and remained sitting there for the entire day. In the evening, Nach'keh and his entire family, as well as all the others that fled, returned. We were missing: His mother, Vikhn'eh and Chaim Shiliowsky (A son of Velvel from Naharodavicy), who was killed. Nach'keh told how it happened: The murderers, who were using the road, noticed the white laundry that was drying on the little hill and this brought them to the zemlyanka; the wild shouting woke them up, and they succeeded in saving themselves; in the zemlyanka, only the elderly mother Vikhn'eh remained, and Chaim, who by then, had no time to flee, and they were shot in the zemlyanka; afterwards, the murderers threw an incendiary bomb into it.

That evening, after it had gotten good and dark, the cry of a child was heard from the forest. On getting closer, we found Rachel'eh Bayl'keh's (from Naharodavicy) lying on the cold ground, barely breathing. After she had eaten something, and got herself warmed up, she was taken off to her mother in the village of Koski, and there she hid out with a Christian who knew them (the miller of the village).

When the assault was in full swing, everyone took counsel and decided to go to the other side of the Neman, simply, because it was stiller there, and also because there were many peasants that were known on that side.

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The following went off: Baruch Krasnoselsky æ”ì, Ber'l Stotsky, Fyv'eh and Luzer-Meir Savitzky, the wife of Sholom Krasnoselsky with two children, and Nach'keh Baranchik. We made a plan to meet every night in the zemlyanka, and before dawn, again to cross the Neman and spend the day in [relative] peace. The family described here, and the two Savitzky brothers, went off to a small wood, not far from Belica. The weather was wet, and on these nights, we stole into an empty house, or a nearby stable.

Belica Jews, who fled the forests, hungry and bare, told that the murderers had invaded the forest and wrecked everything there. They burned all of the surrounding villages, along with their inhabitants, and blew up the partisan camps and the huts of the Jewish groups – were burned. They killed many Jews, among whom was the Belica woman Rivka Kusielewicz (wife of Yud'l Zalman), as well as two Belica youths – Mendl Halpern (son of Israel-Abraham) and Israel-Itcheh Dziencelsky.

At the same time, many Jewish partisans arrived in the forest, who had lost their brigades, during the period of the assault, and among them were many from Belica young men and women. Exhausted, tired out by tribulations and fear, these heroic young fighters had been completely transformed.

One of them was the son of Vikhn'eh Baranchik, who had been killed, who was called Henokh, and was very impatient to exact vengeance upon the killers. In leaving the ghetto, he was wounded in his right foot, and took a long time to heal, in the difficult conditions of the forest, until he returned to health. He voluntarily went off to fight in a Jewish brigade, and came here with his group. He saved his own life in the forest. But it was fated that this hero would die a cruel death here. Hunger ravaged everyone severely, and the young people were compelled to go to the nearest village of Novoselki to look for something to eat. They had barely entered the village, when the peasants opened fire on them with bullets.

The entire group fled into the forest, but Henokh was hit by a bullet in the right eye. The cries of the dying hero were heard in the forest for many hours, and he died while in great pain. A night after this, his comrades buried him in the forest, not far from his mother's grave.

In those days, Baruch Krasnoselsky's sister-in-law Hen'keh was killed and died a horrible death, together with her two small children. They had come to the forest from the Dvarec ghetto, and lived together with Baruch in a zemlyanka, fleeing across the Neman. When the ice started to melt, Baruch, Hen'keh and the children crossed the Neman without incident, and sat in the bushes on the second side of the river. Upon their return, Hen'keh and the children went first, being careful in crossing the ice, and they managed to get across the river. Suddenly, the ice broke, and Baruch, who was bringing up the rear, began to sink in the cold water. He began to shout loudly, and Hen'keh ran to him, to save him, and the water dragged her in as well. The children became very frightened, and ran to help save their mother, and the roiled waters swallowed all three of them. Baruch battled death for a long time, until his hands became stiffened from the cold. Peasants from the nearby village heard his shouts, but nobody attempted to help. After a great deal of effort, he was able to grab hold of a hunk of ice, and he was able to pull himself out of the strong current. He ran to the forest (to Trytszych) where he warmed himself up and came to.

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In the Fight for Life

The assault continued, but remaining in this place was impossible. We still anticipated that the Germans will come back into the forests. They, the group, went back to the second side of the Neman, this time Nachman Baranchik went with them. They were dead-tired from wandering around, and also hungry. Despite this, they found the strength to drag themselves to the empty hut of Faramszczyk, which stood at the edge of the Neman, not far from Belica. The snow covered the ground all about, and they spent the night in the little shack. Nachman lit the oven, and they warmed themselves up a bit. Before dawn, they readied themselves to move on further, but later they decided that because it is entirely tranquil here, that it makes sense to spend several days here. Not a living thing appeared before their eyes. Everything around them was white from the snow. The clouded skies would instill a fear in the few lonely Jews.

But it was not possible to remain there for long, because it was very near to the shtetl, and the shack stood in a very exposed place and the forest – quite a distance away. After sitting there for three days, they decided to go back to their zemlyanka. At around midnight, they got back to the Neman. The ice was by now very weak, and they were afraid to cross.

But they arrived at a decision quickly. The first of them went across the weak ice with a staff in hand, tapping along the path and it was in this fashion that all the others that followed him successfully crossed the Neman. They dragged themselves back to their zemlyanka with the last of their energies.

The assault had ended, and in the beginning of February 1943, it was reasonably peaceful in the forest, and life went by [for what passed as] normally. The Belica residents who had arrived, began to construct zemlyankas and furnishing them. Everyone began to provision themselves with inventories of foodstuffs, in order that they be able to quietly sit in place, and ride out the intense winter. The cold got worse day by day. Snows and storms would cover the roads, and it was not possible to see anything in front of the eyes. The winter arrived in its full force. In such frightening and stormy nights, our Jews would risk their lives with great danger to themselves, dragging themselves torn and sundered over the roads, in order to get something to eat. They were cut off from the world. And death stalked them at every turn. But the will to live was even greater...

Among the Jews. who had come from the forest, were Lejzor Mosh'keh's with his youngest son, Moshe'l and daughter Masha. they built themselves a zemlyanka, and somehow got themselves settled. The rest of the family members were: the son, Velvel, and the younger daughter Faygl, they went off with another group of young people armed with munitions, over to the other side of the Neman, and 'put things in order' in the forests, not far from the village of Fal'kovichi. There, in that area, there were not any partisans yet, and the group managed to live there very well. On February 12, 1943, Velvel went off with additional comrades to visit his father, and along with them the young Belica boy Abraham Wolkowysky came along, (a son of Leib'keh-Yosh'keh's). Drawing near to the shtetl, it was quiet, and they were certain that there was nobody in the shtetl. They went off to the Polish nurse, Maria, who lived in the first house of the shtetl. The Christian lady received them in a fine manner, and they ate the evening meal at her place.

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The neighbors noticed them, and immediately notified the Byelorussian police. The murderers came running with autos, surrounded the house and began to shoot. The group immediately heard this, and they fled in all directions through a back door. Velvel and Abraham'l were the last to run out, and went in the direction of the fields, where there was a old smithy used by Zelig the blacksmith. They thought to find some protection there from the murderers. The night was a very bright one. Abraham'l shot himself out, and was able to flee from the murderous hands and save himself, while in contrast, Velvel lay in the deep snow, thinking, that perhaps the murderers had not noticed him. However, the peasants had indeed seen him, and they showed the police where to find him. The police shot in his direction for a long time, and came closer to the smithy. Velvel defended himself very heroically, and kept shooting until the last bullet. In this opportunity, he even was able to wound one of the attackers. The end was, that they surrounded him on all sides, and shot him in the stomach. He immediately died from the great pains. On the following morning, the mieszczany buried him in the Jewish cemetery.

Old Lejzor did not know about this for a long time. He would often go to the villages to procure foodstuffs, in order to be able, along with everyone else, get through this difficult time. Several days after Velvel's death, Lejzor and his youngest son, Moshe'leh went to the village of Zbljany for bread. On the way back, a heavy snow began to fall, and the two unfortunate people lost their way. They went into a culvert at the edge of the Neman in order to rest, and wait out the storm. Before dawn, when both were deeply asleep from exhaustion, it began to get very cold, and a frost descended. Old Lejzor felt nothing, as to how his feet had become frozen. The father and son dragged themselves through barely alive, for a half a day back into the4 forest, to their zemlyanka. Lejzor became severely ill, and they did not have the means to heal frozen feet. There was no doctor, and also no medicines with which to heal them.

With every day, his condition grew worse and worse, until the toes on his feet started to rot away. The man exerted himself mightily. His daughter Masha æ”ì, who later was also killed, did everything possible to save her father. The crowding and filth in the zemlyanka were great, and the sick man became severely weakened. The man suffered a great deal, until after two difficult months of illness and pain, he died. He was buried in the same place in the forest. úðöá”ה

Life in the forest then continued as it had before. Every night, we would go to the villages to provision ourselves with foodstuffs. The partisan movement began to branch out anew, more than even before the assault. Many times, partisans would come to the forest, and there were many Jews among them. Time flew very quickly. The cold and the snows continued to hold on. At one time a group of partisans came into the forest from the Orlansky Otryad. Among them also, were a few young people from Belica. Remaining with us for a couple of days, the group decided that the time had come to settle accounts with our enemies, to exact revenge against the exterminators of the Jewish shtetl of Belica.

The group placed itself under the leadership of Y0oss'l Fleischer (the son of Itcheh the butcher), and there also were the Belica youths: Yankl Odzhikhowsky (son of El'tsik Shy'keh's) and Abraham Maggid ( the son-in-law of R' Yaakov the cooper). As soon as it became dark, these men set off in the direction to Belica. They had come to Belica with the purpose of killing the gentile Garniak (he was a policeman working for

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the Germans, and derided the Jews considerably), as well as the peasant Koliesz, who killed the Szeszko family. It was quiet in the shtetl, and the group quietly rode up to Garniak's home and surrounded the house. A few remained standing on guard, and the remainder went into the house and demanded the robber. As soon as he saw them, he hid himself in a hen coop. The partisans searched the entire house and found him in the coop. They were afraid to get close to the coop, because he could shoot, despite this, they dragged him out alive.

At that moment, he tore himself out of their hands, and quickly ran to the window, in order to be able to flee. The 'post' in the street fired off a round of machine gun fire, and Garniak fell dead on the spot. His family made a great tumult. The partisans paid no attention to this, and each of them put a round into the thief, up to one bullet per gun, and let him lay on the ground. The group confiscated everything that was in the house and let it be known that 'this was done as revenge for the spilled Jewish blood.'

The group left the house and went back into the forest. Along the way, they rode over to Koliesz's place, in order to do the same to him, as they did with Garniak. Koliesz lived 3 km form Belica. He had turned over the Belica Jew, Luzer-Chaim Szeszko (son of David Leib's), with his family, to the Germans to be killed Luzer-Chaim had given him all of his valuables, but Koliesz, 'the good friend' could not wait for the minute when he would be able to inherit everything of Luzer-Chaim's. The impatience of the Christian went so far, that, while still in the ghetto, he brought Luzer-Chaim poison and proposed that he should not wait until the Germans kill him, but rather he should take his own life. After the Second Great Slaughter in Zhetl, Luzer-Chaim and his family were able to save themselves and flee to their best 'friend' Koliesz, where they were supposed to hide out. Koliesz received them in a fine manner, and during the time they were asleep, exhausted and beaten down from fear, the murdering peasant used that moment and ran off to the Neman station and brought the Germans and Byelorussian police back with him. The hapless awakened to the blows, and in great fear, saw the murderers before their eyes. Koliesz stood near them, and responded with a satanic smile: 'It is enough for you to live well, now we will live.' Luzer-Chaim attempted to flee, and was shot while running, his wife and child were taken away to Belica, where they were shot out in the open near the Gmina, accompanied by enthusiastic hand-clapping and resounding laughter from the assembled crowd.

The Jewish partisans decided, therefore, to take revenge on Koliesz. The group took out all the valuables that he had robed from Jews, burned down his house, and took him along with them. The partisans dragged him on board the Zbljany ferry, over the Neman River, tied a stone to his neck, and submerged him several times in cold water. When they had thoroughly tired him out, the partisans let go of him into the water.

At the same time, a group of Jewish partisans carried out a punitive expedition against a peasant in the village of Savichi, not far from Zhetl. This very peasant had murdered a group of Jewish partisans, among whom there was also a young heroic man from Belica, Jonah Odzhikhowsky (Chaim Shy'keh's son). In the middle of a clear day, the group of partisans surrounded his house, took away his valuables, and broke the peasant's hands and feet, and later, they hung him on a fence.

This was the manner in which the young men of Belica took part in the war, carrying out punitive expeditions and taking revenge upon our enemies, and the murderous Byelorussians. After these events, the entire region trembled before the Jewish partisans, and the condition of the family groups became much better.

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The Polish Christian, Mr. Bobrownik provided extraordinary assistance to the Belica Jews in the forest. He was the town 'Droznik' He was a true friend of the Jews. Seeing how his house stood at the edge of the Neman, apart from the shtetl proper, all the Jews would pass by him, and would help themselves from him. He put his own life in danger, and not mindful of this, he did everything he could, in order to help and lift spirits. His name must be remembered and mentioned among the Righteous Gentiles of the World.

It did not take long, and the winter was past. Spring came rather quickly – then summer. All the surrounding towns were already Judenrein. Not a single Jew could be found in any sort of ghetto. The single ghetto that still existed in the entire area was in Lida. All the living Jews from the surrounding towns and villages were concentrated there. A special work camp was organized, that took the skilled Jews under its protection, good specialists and craftsmen. These people held special 'living permits' and worked for the Germans. The area commissar for Lida was not a great sadist, and helped the ghetto. The Jewish partisan group set itself the objective of creating an intimate connection with the Jews in Lida, and bring them, a little at a time, into the forest. The knew and understood that the good conditions in the camp could not persist for very long. Special liaisons (peasants) and emissaries were sent to carry out this mission. The Belica Jews Shlomo Jasinowsky (son of R' Yehoshua Jasinowsky), Yaakov Molczadsky (a grandson of Sarah the paper seller), and Michael Groznik (the oarsman) came to the forest to assess what life was like there. They made the decision to come a week later with their families. Returning to Lida with them were: Rachel Itzkowitz (the daughter of R' Yoss'l Shmuel's the miller)and Luzer-Meir Savitzky, with the goal of creating a larger group of people and bring all of them to the forest. Every day, the partisans would come to the Neman and wait for arriving groups, who were taken across with a boat. The situation had by them deteriorated because of the organization of the 'White Poles,' and the transit across the river became risky, because the 'Whites' concentrated themselves only in the villages along the Neman. They were a reactionary organization, and fought against the Soviet partisans, and against the Germans under the motto: 'For a Free Poland.' But there enmity towards the Jews was especially strong. When they would capture a Jew. they would torture him in all sorts of ways, and afterwards kill him. Their nest was in Belica, and it was very dangerous to show one's self in their area.

The Jewish group in the forest became significantly disturbed, hen after three days of waiting, its people had not yet returned from the ghetto. On the fourth day, the suddenly saw a group of people on the other side of the river, who according to the way they were walking and their appearance, looked like they were Jews. At that time, the following came: Israel Zlocowsky and family, Michael Groznik and his wife, and a few other Jews from Zhaludok and Dzjam'janaucy. Later on, Shlomo Kaplan also arrived, with his wife, Chaya-El'keh and children, and also Taib'eh and the children.

The Jewish group in the forest helped these people settle in. On that same day, huts were constructed, where they could live, and have a place where they could rest up after their arduous journey. After a week's time, they became 'forest denizens' and adapted themselves well to life in the forest. During this time, the 'White' Poles developed quite significantly, and we anticipated that at an opportune moment, they would fall upon the Jews in the forest. The peasants in the villages discussed this sort of thing very substantially. After Passover 1943, the decision was taken in the Jewish group to go off to a second forest.

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Bloody Assaults Against the Jews in the Forest

The group went off to the Jacukia Forests on the second side of the small river Molczadka, and set up its camp there. The place selected as the point of residence was called Borki. Nachman Baranchik set himself up not far away, with his family. The place was very good, and was located in a very beautiful location. The forest surrounded the little river with green meadows, from which a fresh breeze constantly blew, with the scent of hay. It looked like a sanatorium location. The weather was very enjoyable, and the summer – at its peak of intensity.

Not far from this location was the house of the forest watchmen. at the home of the peasant Wytczyk Rafalowicz, and the center of the partisan diversionary brigade. The people were very good ones, and supported the group with whatever they could. They were arrivals from the other side of the front and had the mission to carry out diversionary actions in the far rear of the enemy. They called themselves the 'Muscovites' and held that this area was their region.

During several quiet months, the Jewish families that resided here would go visit the groups, who had remained in their old locations. They, too, did not have anything to complain about. Very often, the partisans (Muscovites) would come to the Jews and convey the latest news from the radio, relating important occurrences at the front, interesting events, and sing songs together by the fire. This is how the time was spent, until German punitive brigades came riding into the villages, which had the mission of assaulting the partisans and Jews, and to exterminate them. In the nearby village of Gezgaly, the murderers encountered a group of Muscovites. A bib battle ensued, and the shooting echoed throughout the forest. Everyone dressed quickly, and fled into a second forest. That day, the group spend quietly, and then towards evening, as soon as it became dark, two people went off to the village of Nesilovtsy and informed themselves about the situation at hand. They learned that the murderers had burned down several houses in the village, and rode back to Zhetl, and no victims fell from the ranks of the partisans. After several days, the group decided to abandon this place, and return to the Zachepichi forests, where there still were several Belica Jews.

The following Belica youths were in that same Muscovite brigade: Yaakov Kremen (R' Israel Meiram's son), Yaakov Zlocowsky æ”ì (Israel Zlocowsky's son) and Abraham Wolkowysky, who supported the Belica groups considerably, and also kept them informed about previously anticipated, and other possible attacks.

The summer came to an end. It started to get colder, and it began to rain. The group had erected provisional huts in the new forest, beside those of Meir and his family, and Fyv'eh Savitzky and his group. In the meantime, Shmuel Swieticky and his wife Zivia joined up, and so we amounted to about ten people. To these, it is also necessary to add the children of Lejzor Mosh'keh's and their families. This location where we built, was not far from the road, and quite often it was possible to hear the sounds of people driving through nearby. Because of this, the group had to be extremely careful with loud speech, in order that they not be discovered. Reports were widespread about the arrival of Ukrainian police forces in Zhetl, with the objective of launching an assault campaign against the forests. At the end of the month of Tammuz, they came into the villages. On the Rosh Hodesh of Elul 1943, they entered the forest. No sooner had dawn broken, when the sound of a barking dog could be heard, which woke everyone from their slumber. One quickly ran out to the road to see what was going on. He could not run back, because there was a host of murderers already

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standing on the road. All he could do was give a hand signal, indicating we should flee. He, by himself attempted to hide himself under the branches of an old untended tree. The attackers ran right by him, in the direction towards the huts, and they did not notice him. Lying there like this, he got through the day, until it became dark.

At the time that the people of the group began to run into the hideout, one of the murderers, riding on a horse, noticed them, and began to shoot in their direction. Part went into the hideout, and part scattered fleeing into the forest. Those who remained inside, sealed themselves in with the door, and remained sitting there for the entire day. When the plunderer saw that there were people fleeing, he chased after them on his horse. The shooting became intense, and he flew past the hideout and went deep into the forest.

After several minutes of sitting in the hideout, the Jews calmed down a bit, and only then first noted that Tul'yeh was severely wounded in a foot, and a hand. He groaned considerably, and was in spasms. All the means at hand were used to try and save him, but nothing helped. After a half hour of severe suffering, he passed away.

As soon as it became dark, they came out of the hideout, and saw the ruin: the huts had been destroyed by mines, and no living soul could be seen... those who remained after the attack, went through the forest in search of other members of the group. A great fear seized them as they walked through the trampled forest. It was in this way that they came to the huts of Meir Eizhik'eh's group. Everything had been thrown about. The huts – burned. The ground all around was on fire. On the way back to the hideout, we suddenly saw a dead body splayed out on the ground. Shot in the head, with hands spread out, it lay in the middle of the road. This was Mash'keh (Masha Kreinowicz, Lejzor Mash'eh's daughter) from the group. The murderers had caught her alive, beat her to death with the butts of their rifles, and later – shot her in the head. Depressed, we those that remained alive, returned to our wrecked huts.

Coming back to the old place, we encountered Ber'l Savitzky and Shmuel Swieticky. All went back to the hideout, took out the people who were inside, and brought them to the fire. We sat sunk in our thoughts, and broken, by this fresh misfortune. In the still of the night, we again heard the barking of a dog, which frightened us a great deal.

Four of the group immediately went off and removed the dead body from the road. They took out Tul'yeh's dead body from the hideout, in order that both martyrs could be buried the next day. The night passed, and as soon as it became light, all those that remained, returned from their hiding places. They told about the events and also how they kept themselves alive. The men went off and brought the two freshly killed bodies to bury them. A little later, the entire group gathered in the forest at an old place, that we had occupied several months ago. It was only at that time, in looking about that we saw we were missing Faygl (Lejzor-Mash'eh's youngest daughter). A number of the group went off to look for her in the forest. They asked for her at all shepherds, and they promised that if they found her body, they will immediately let us know. After three days, she came back herself with a severe wound in a hand. She was suffering intense pain. Her cries and screaming were frightening. We began to try and heal her wounds with our meager means to do so. Several weeks went by, but Faygl returned to good health.

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The High Holy Days drew near. It became colder, and in addition, heavy rain began to fall. Every day, reports reached the Jews in the forest about the 'Whites,' who had become strong, and had seized Belica.

The last, and only, ghetto in Lida was preparing for a mass slaughter, and there did not seem to be any way out, as to how the Jews in that place could be rescued. The situation grew worse from day-to-day. Shortly before Rosh Hashana, the order arrived to liquidate all the living Jews and make all of western Byelorussia Judenrein. On one day, they gathered up the few hapless Jews in Lida, and brought them to the station. There, they were crammed into filthy freight cars, the doors were nailed shut, and the windows covered in barbed wire, and sent away. Later, it became known that they were taken to the Majdanek concentration camp, where they were incinerated in the gas chambers. It was only very few individuals who were able to escape and save themselves. People came to the forest, among them were Mitia Poupko and family, Shmuel Iveniecky and Yaakov Molczadsky and his wife Frieda, from Lida. These very people leapt from the train cars, when the train was already moving at great speed. Many of the new arrivals were severely broken and ruined. Yaakov Molczadsky remained in the Belica group. All the rest went off to different groups. It was not possible to remain in this place for much longer, and we went off deeper into the forest, to a new location, and there, built new huts. Suddenly, we received further news that the 'Whites' were to be found in the village of Zbljany (about 3 km from the camp), and that they were going to cross the Neman, with the intent of falling upon the Jewish groups and exterminate them. It was too late to be able to flee, and the sole salvation was – ti hide one's self.

Exactly one day after Rosh Hashana, 3 Tishri of 1943, the bandits fell upon Meir-Eizhik'eh's group, who still had the opportunity to flee and hide themselves in a nearby grove of bushes. The only one they caught alive, was Fyv'eh Savitzky. He even was armed, but he did not have the time to use it and shoot back. The bandits led him off in the direction of the village of Zbljany, to the place where the old huts stood. They bet him severely there, and demanded that he reveal where the remaining Jews from Belica were found. Not willing to give up his remaining brothers, Fyv'eh led them off to the former huts, knowing fully well and being certain, that nobody was there.

Towards evening, when the shooting subsided, everyone came together in the old location. A few went off to find out what the other Jews might be able to tell them. Suddenly, El'chik-Shy'keh's youngest son came running, Joseph'keh, and related the frightful news that Fyv'eh lay dead in the forest. All the men immediately went off to retrieve him to be buried. He was found severely beaten about the head and face. His hands were twisted around and broken. Near his body, there lay large Dubov pine branches with which the bandits beat him to death, there being no sign of a bullet anywhere in his body.

Several men who brought him to be buried, stood by the freshly dug grave, of the first fallen hero, Fyv'eh Savitzky, enveloped in sorrow and pain.

A quiet keening resonated through the forest, when his brothers Luzer-Meir, to be separated for life, recited the Kaddish. His words, in the dark of the night, were mixed in with the rustling of the thick tree leaves.

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Anti-Semites of All Kinds in the Forest

That night, the 'Whites' got themselves across the Neman, back to Zbljany. On the following morning, it was all quiet already in the forest. At about midday, partisans arrived from the forest, and brought news with them from the front, to the effect that the Soviets had garnered some very big victories. This meant that it will not be long, and we will again be able to emerge free from hiding. And despite the fact that the tragedy that had befallen Savitzky was still fresh, everyone was nevertheless elated by the good news. The Belica Jew David-Hirsch'l Meckel was with the partisans (son of Yankl the wagon driver). He was the 'quartermaster' for the brigade, and he had come here with the objective of obtaining provisions for the brigade. David-Hirsch'l was an older man already, about 63 years of age. He kept himself in good condition, and took part in battle and in acts of retribution. Towards nightfall, it was quite peaceful, and the group of armed partisans rode off to the village of Zachepichi where they had to procure their products. They spent two hours in the village, until they completed their mission, and traveled back into their forest.

Arriving at the village of Korshaki the group again encountered the 'Whites,' who had wrongly crossed the Neman. The bandits met them with a hail of fire, and the partisans were forced to flee in all directions into the forest, and hide themselves. It was very hard for David-Hirsch'l to run, at his age, and he hid himself in an empty pit used for storing potatoes, and remaining there, thinking that the bandits had not taken note of him, and he will be able to sit there until they went away. But the bandits did see him, and they ran in the direction of the pit, and on drawing closer, they opened a withering fire with machine guns. David-Hirsch'l defended himself heroically, until he fired the last shot from his gun. The murderers surrounded him on all sides and shot him in the head. The bandits let him lie on the ground. This tragedy occurred on 4 Tishri of the year 1943.

On that same night, several men from Belica rode off with the partisans, and they brought the body into the forest, where he was buried near the graves of Lejzor Mosh'keh's children. After this frightful attack, and the fresh misfortunes, the condition of group deteriorated seriously, especially with the arrival of winter.

Winter began to draw near, and it became hard to reside in the summer huts. The group again decided to go off to the other side of the Molczadka and spend the winter there. A good location was found in the Glushitse Forests, and a large and spacious zemlyanka was constructed. At the same time, we provided ourselves with the added security of a hideout in the event we were attacked by the 'White Poles,' or other murderers.

In the midst of this, a heavy snow began to fall. The younger people would drag themselves off to a nearby village on such dark and stormy nights, in order to gather up a bit of food, as well as other necessities. Coming into the village entailed risking one's life. Death stalked on all sides. It was necessary to be afraid of Germans, Byelorussian police, 'White' Poles, Ukrainians, and if this were not enough, also – from our 'own' Russian partisans of the Lida Brigade, who, as soon as they would grab a Jew, they would shoot him on the spot. One time, a member of the group came into the village of Bondary, for bread, and these very 'Lida' partisan-murderers seized him, took him to be a German spy, and wanted to shoot him. His good fortune lay in that a Jewish girl from Slonim, named Lyuba, who was the one Jewish person in the brigade, recognized him. She talked them out of dealing with him, thereby saving him from a certain death.

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As soon as the first snow had fallen, sleds were made to reach to road from the zemlyanka. This led to a fresh tragedy. The 'White Poles' were waiting fro this. So did the bandits from the 'Lida Brigade.' This was so, because they were constantly on the watch fro ways to kill or eliminate the Jews hidden in the forest. It was already impossible to remain in the same place, and the group had to move off in the middle of the winter. Their good fortune lay in the group having received , a few days earlier, a letter from the Jewish hero and partisan Benjamin Baran (Lamai-Fasuda) in which he ordered them to leave that place as quickly as they could, because the bandits are massing themselves for an assault. On that very night, the group went off to the Koliesz Forests where the rest of the Belica groups could be found. In the prior location, in Osawiec, only Nachman Baranchik and his family remained in residence.

A couple of days later, the bandits indeed, fell upon their group. To their good fortune, they heard them arriving, and barely were able to flee for their lives. In the Koliesz forest, the group again attempted to construct temporary huts on the ground, to live in, until they could fully prepare a more roomy zemlyanka. The new zemlyanka was in the Hancary Forests, not far from the road that led to the village of Zachepichi. This location was not good, but no other choice was available to them. The winter was at its peak intensity. the freezing was very great, and the snows fell day and night. The objective that faced the group was: prepare to withstand the winter by gathering stocks of food. The group was supplemented by several additional armed men, and they felt much more secure in the event of an attack, and because of this, it became easier to procure bread and other foodstuffs in the villages.

Every night, the younger people would set out on the road, and bring wagon loads of potatoes, bread and flour from the villages. In two weeks time, the group has accumulated the required inventory of foodstuffs, needed to get through the winter. Following this, the people sat in place, and went nowhere. However, this respite did not last long. When the freezing began to abate, and the ice started to melt, the zemlyanka became flooded with water. It was necessary to start building a second zemlyanka, on higher ground, in order that it not be flooded by runoff. At first, there was a desire to locate it near the place where Israel Zlocowsky resided with his people, but in the end, the group went off deeper into the forest, and found a second place. As it turned out, Mitia Poupko and his family joined the group at this time. It took four days to construct the new zemlyanka. It was comfortable and spacious, but it turned out we could not stay here very long either.

A cohort of Vlasovite soldiers arrived in the villages (troops of the Russian general who had surrendered to the Germans with his army, and fought on their side against the Soviets). These so-called 'Vlasovites' carried out massive assaults against partisan centers and blocked off the villages in the area. They declared: 'Jews and partisans will be found even under the last stone, and they will be exterminated to the last one.'

At the beginning of January 1944, the Vlasovites fortified themselves in the villages, and every day, shot up the forests with cannon fire. It was impossible to go to the villages for produce, and there was no alternative means by which to leave the place.

At the beginning of the spring of 1944, the group went off to the Lipiczany Forest. The trip along that way posed a very frightful picture: several unfortunate Jews, broken, hungry and exhausted, dragged themselves

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along with staffs in hand, over the narrow paths of the large forests. They barely got to their destination by morning: they arrived at a camp of Zhetl Jews, with their groups in the Dzjam'janaucy forests. The camp was indeed known as the 'Dzjam'janaucy Family Camp.' In the nearby forests there were yet other camps. Here, life was still rather 'normal.' Partisans from a variety of brigades would come here to rest themselves after long rides, and would eat and drink with the Jews, for which they would pay well.

The camp had the appearance of a small Jewish shtetl. The Jews, who had previously arrived from the Koliesz Forest, had already arranged for and constructed new zemlyankas for their use, in which to live. Ber'l Stotsky, the Poupko family and Molchadsky held themselves together.

The Vlasovite blockade began to spread out. Here, no one thought about it. Here, people felt secure because of the protection of the partisans. Several times, single individuals from the group went off, risking their lives, to the old zemlyanka in the Hancary Forest, and brought back remaining potatoes and flour on their backs. all of this was concealed in a hideout and it would be dragged this way for about 25-30 km.

We received news from the other side of the Neman, that the 'White Poles' are carrying out intense battles against the partisans and the jews. We expected that they were going to end up coming to our forest as well. On the other side of the rail line of the Naliboki Forest, there were large Russian partisan brigades, as well as a large Jewish brigade of 1200 persons, under the leadership of the heroic Tuvia Bielski.

From the news relayed by Soviet radio, we found out that the front was getting closer. We also felt this from the retreat of the Vlasovites. Every day, they would come from the east, and occupy the villages. They blockaded all the villages, and even single houses in the forest itself. The partisans were not afraid of this. They were now strong enough to mount resistance to the enemy. Every evening, Soviet aircraft would come flying over, from Moscow, and drop ammunition and paratroops to bolster the partisan movement in their diversionary campaign. The paratroops would come to the family camps, and relate news from the front. They carried out a large propaganda campaign in the villages, among the peasants. They gave them money and other things. Life in the 'little shtetl' of the 'Dzjam'janaucy Camp' continued to go on 'normally,' until the summer of 1944 arrived.

After the Vlasovites had managed to blockade almost to the last peasant house, they then launched 'their work.' They began to carry out a centralized assault in the forest, against the partisans.

On June 13, 1944 the Vlasovites entered the forests with tanks. A rigorous search of the partisan regions began. The noise of the tanks awoke the sleeping Jews in the camp. Everyone fled in all directions into the forest. There was no place where one could hide. During the first days, the partisan brigades mounted a big resistance and it spread out into a wider battle. After five days, the partisans had to relent, and the murderers captured the camps. The partisans retreated from their positions, and fled deeper into the forests.

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Part of the Jewish camp hid themselves in the previously prepared hideouts. while others fled along with the retreating partisans. The Belica group got together and went 25 km deeper into the forests, in the direction of the city of Dereczin, to the Szczara River.

The murderers penetrated into the Jewish camp, and whomever they found, they immediately shot in their huts. On that day, there were immediately 11 victims. A group of 12 girls, who wanted to flee and hide themselves in the forest, were noticed. The murderers pursued them, and intentionally drove them toward the Neman River. Many of them ran straight into the water, not wishing to fall alive into the hands of the bandits. Seven of the girls drowned, and the remaining five were captured. They were taken to the jail in Zhetl, tortured for several days, and then burned on the Zhetl marketplace (according to what was told by the Byelorussian Christians).

The movement of the group to the Mockaly Forests was both difficult and dangerous. The murderers directed heavy gunfire at them, and drove them back into the fire. Shooting was going on all around them. The Vlasovites put all of the surrounding villages to the torch. The group dragged itself along for five hours, over roads and byways, until it came to a large forest, where it sat in order to rest.

Suddenly, a hail of gunfire descended on the group. The murderers had gone deeper into the forest. The swamps and bogs reached up to the neck. The murderers paid no attention to this, and crawled through the deep swamps sniffing out and seeking Jews and partisans. Proceeding in this fashion through the forest, they did, indeed, encounter Jewish groups. One time, they seized five Jewish partisans, including two girls, and shot them immediately. After sitting for three days in one location, the group suddenly noted people running by. Everyone became terribly frightened, thinking that these were certainly forward scouts for the Vlasovites, and that the murderers were already to be found not far from this place. But it immediately became clear that these were partisans, and we learned that their hidden brigade was stationed here. We were much gladdened by this. But, in the meantime, we began to suffer from another kind of trouble: the inventory of foodstuffs that the group had brought along with it, had run out in these few days, and we began to hunger. It was not possible to get out for any sum of money to procure something to eat. The little children and the older people suffered the most from this.

For several days, the partisans were already eating horsemeat. Also, the thought had arisen in the group, that since horses were blundering around in the forest, we needed to capture a horse and slaughter it. Two men went off and returned with a rather good-looking horse, and everyone immediately took to the work. It was quickly slaughtered, skinned, cut up, and then there was meat to eat. The neighboring hungry partisans fell upon this like a swarm of bees, and grabbed off pieces of meat into their pockets. In the evening, as soon as it got dark, we made a fire, and cooked the meat, then eating until we were full.

On June 20, 1944, before dawn, as soon as there was a bit of light, airplanes bombed the forest. We arrived at no other conclusion, other than the Germans were bombing the forests. Later, it became evident that it was the Soviets bombing the nearby cities. On that same morning, we fled deeper into the forest. At a certain moment, we encountered another group of Jews from Zhetl, who had hidden themselves in the same forest. However here, in the forest, and around it, great battles were being conducted between the Soviet army and the retreating Germans.

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The two Jewish groups went even deeper into the forest. A day passed that lasted a long time, from nearby, we could hear the echoes of the voices of the murderers, and we were afraid that now, just before the liberation, that we should not fall into their murderous hands. It became dark, and we met up with yet another group of partisans, who gave us the latest news, that the Red Army was already in Baranovici. It is only in the forests that the assault continues at full force.

The Belica group turned back to its old location, and encountered many people that they knew from the forest, almost all of the brigades having concentrated themselves in these forests not far from the village of Mockaly. Meir (Eizhik's son) immediately went off there to procure something to eat.

The brigade commander granted permission to go to the nearby village of Mockaly to get potatoes from the peasants. Four men from the Belica group went with a small wagon, through the swamps and water, into the village. The peasants doled out potatoes a little at a time. On the return 'home' these four ran into a Russian partisan of the 'Krasno-Guardiesk Otryad' – a big anti-Semite, and he beat them severely, took away the potatoes and threatened to shoot them, if they don't flee even faster into the village. The one piece of good luck that these four had was when the Jewish partisan, Jonah Medvedsky, who was together with him, took their part, and beseeched the anti-Semite not to do anything. The crazed peasant was not appeased, and he picked up a large board and delivered a hard blow to the hand, that caused it to turn black. Immediately thereafter, the Jews fled off in fear, through the corn, and returned to the forest. The drunkard could not console himself for permitting the zhids to remain alive, and shot after them. However, the bullets didn't hit anyone.

The way back was hard. The four men dragged themselves , wading through the swamps, that came up to the neck. After two hours of this, they came back to the camp exhausted. Hunger oppressed everyone strongly. Death threatened them on all sides. The partisans grouped themselves together and went off and the Jewish families begged fervently that they be given permission to go with them, but the Russians did not even want to hear of it. Seeing this, the group decided it would also not remain here, and set off on the way to the forest.

The way back into the forest was very frightening. We had to pass through the village of Ruda, where the Vlasovites were based. Day and night, they would shoot up the surrounding forests and light up the roads with [flare] rockets, in order to detect partisans trying to get through. But there was no other way out. At ten o'clock at night, the group emerged from the forest. The first ones out were the ones who carried arms. After them came the entire group.

After going for several kilometers, the people were overcome by great exhaustion. Every rustle of the leaves in the treas, would provoke fear. Here and there, we ran into the bodies of killed partisans, and horses – corpses – the victims of the Vlasovites. The untended older trees blocked the way, and tore up the feet. Everyone was bleeding, and the feet burned from the pain. As we approached the village of Ruda, all seemed still. the group needed to ford a brook. Everyone trembled out of fear.

One of the group was the first who got undressed, and swam the little river. It was quite deep, and not everyone could manage it on their own. After this, a second person went into the water, and led almost everyone over to the other side. On emerging from the water, everyone was struck by a strong cold. We

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covered ourselves with coats and slowly warmed ourselves up. But because we could not remain very long in such a dangerous location, we immediately arose, and with the last of our strength went off further. When the dawn began to break, the group came to the large forest, not knowing exactly where it was now. Wet, dead-tired, everyone dropped to the bare earth and fell asleep.

Yaakov Molchadsky and one other person from the group immediately went off to find out where we were. After a half hour's time, they returned and said that we were not far from the forest. But because the forest [floor] was very soft, we went off that evening further in the forest. The little children cried and begged for food, and also the adults were very hungry. Before dawn, we reached the old partisan camp, which had been abandoned after the retreat. A number went off to search through the old huts, and found some old pieces of bread and potatoes that had gone to seed, which was a great boon. It was immediately cooked and we saved the children and the old folks with it. Here, at this place, we remained.

Two weeks went by. The assault was still being waged, but not at the same level of intensity. The Soviets attacked, and got closer with every day.

Molchadsky with Poupko reconnoitered the forest to find a better place for us to set up camp. They found a very good spot on an 'island' (or so it was called). Thick trees obscured it on all sides, and it was surrounded by water and swamps. The 'island' was not far from the partisan camp of the Dzerzhinsky Brigade. Already on the first day, huts were set up for living quarters, and we immediately began to construct a hideout in order to be able to hide ourselves in the event of an attack. On the following morning, everyone moved over to that location. The former camp of the group was not far from that place, and in the evening, we went there, and removed the concealed bread, potatoes and flour that had been stashed in the hideout, and brought it to the 'island.'

Here, we encountered additional Jews from Belica and Zhetl, who told us how they had saved themselves. They had concealed themselves in the hideouts, when the murderers had entered the camp, and they rode out the tumult there. The murderers found the hideout where Israel Zlocowsky and his family were hidden. To their great good luck, the murderers did not crawl in to drag them out, and so they remained alive. In the evenings, they would cross the little river, and bake bread in the old oven of the partisan camp.

The condition of the group improved, despite the fact that the bandits continued to reside in the forest. A diversionary division of partisans settled in not far from the Belica group, under the leadership of the Russian Captain Severny. There were many people in that division whom we knew.

The diversionary division had a radio, and every day, we listened to the news about the Soviet attacks. Days came when we could start to hear cannon fire nearby. Because of this, the murderers would intensify their predations in the forest, and carry out assaults in the forests. On Sunday July 3, 1944 during the day, we hear gunshots nearby. Nobody could conceive that the murderers had once again returned here, to the forest. Their wild voices quickly reverberated into every corner of the forest. And here they were, close to the huts.

Noisily, the murderers went by the huts of the group, shot in all directions but noticed nothing. They were

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in the old camp, and burned the huts there, and went away, using the road, to the nearby village of Dzjam'janaucy. Before nightfall, it became more quiet, and everyone gathered again in the same place. At night, the Soviet aircraft illuminated the surrounding nearby cities and towns with flare rockets, and then immediately bombed them.

On Friday, July 7, 1994, came that happy day of our liberation. No sooner had the sun risen that day, when several men from the group went off to the partisans of Captain Severny's group. there, the lady partisan Dosya told them that two Red Army soldiers are already in the camp, and that the Soviets have liberated Zhetl, and have occupied the area. The messengers ran back immediately to the group in the 'island' to convey the good news. The happiness was so great, that they wept from joy, not knowing exactly what to do. The best and nearest were remembered, who had not been privileged to witnessed the fall of the murderers. However, it was not possible to remain on this spot, because of the assault of the remnants of the fleeing German soldiers.

The regular Red Army marched ahead at a fast pace, and penetrated deeply into Polish territory. Several days went by since the liberation, and when the situation became clearer, the groups gathered up all of their necessities, which still remained, and went off in the direction of Belica. With this, the tragic life in the forest came to an end – a frightening period entailing two years of suffering. Of fear and death. On the way, we encountered the leading elements of the victorious Red Army. the soldiers were very friendly to those returning from the forests, and showed how to continue further along the way. In a few more days we came upon the ruined, exterminated Jewish Belica. Upon entering the town, the Jews immediately encountered the mieszczany, who received them very coldly. They deliberately did not want to recognize any of the people, thinking that the Jewish houses would remain theirs. They were disappointed that the Jews had remained alive. They wanted to be the sole heirs. Their first question was: 'Are you still alive?'

The shtetl of Belica that had existed for generations long, was not recognizable. The places where, just a few years earlier, there stood the houses of Jews, were grown over with tall, wild grasses. The small Jewish community in which a fine Jewish youth prospered, was totally exterminated.

The first sight of the Jewish ruins made a very severe and frightening impression on those who had just returned from the forest. The pain of a gruesome solitude was awakened in each individual, and the question each posed to themselves was: 'To whom are we returning here as survivors? And to what purpose did we remain alive? Where are they all, those who are missing?' And from the second side, also was asked: 'And what else needs to be done? What are we to expect on the morrow. What else will come along? With what can they fill their emptied and pain-ridden hearts?

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