Postov Partisans*

As in other Nazi-occupied cities and shtetls, some Jews, usually younger ones, fled or escaped from the ghettos and formed or joined partisan units that hid in nearby forests. Many of their heroic deeds against the German Nazis and their local collaborators, mainly in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania, are known.

Israel Raichel was able to gather from some of the Postov partisans who survived (not all did), written – or sometimes verbal – stories of their experiences, which he included verbatim in his book Mayn Shtetl Postov. The names of those who wrote or told him of their experiences and are mentioned in his introduction to the reports of Postov partisans.are: Feivel (Feivish) Weiner, Zalman Hochman, Yaakov Feigel and Shimon Shapira. Shimon Shapira, who had been a leader of a partisan unit, sent his written narrative to Israel Raichel from Montreal, along with a letter dated 12 October 1975:

My Dear Friend Israel Raichel,

Along with this short letter, I am sending the [account] as you requested, that it may be a book-monument in memory of the fallen heroes from Postov (I hope you understand that I do no longer remember them all). For those still alive, may it be an reminder, lest they forget the shining names of the beautiful Postov Yidn who died "on Kiddush Hashem" – as martyrs.

These beautiful youths – our pride.

With pain and tears I remember our now-destroyed Postov. It is not easy for me even to write this letter, short as it is.

I wish you success in your undertaking.

Wit h respect,

Shimon Shapira

Shimon Shapira's Account, pp. 127–138

Reuven Vant's Account, pp. 139–149

Mully Zasslavsky's Account, pp. 150–159

Zalman Rachman's Account, pp. 160–186

Fania Tseplovitch's Account, pp. 187–191

Ya'akov Feigl's Account, pp. 192–204

*Many Jewish partisans have recorded their experiences, and much is available through the Web, Internet and Google, as well as in various books.