Our Partisan Kingdom - From the Vilna Ghetto to the Bielski Family Camp

"The moment we first set foot on the soil of the Naliboki Pushcha, the atmosphere was completely different. We felt a new kind of security, as if we were in our own partisan kingdom…. We had survived so many dangers, but we were now among Jews in the forest".

Prior to the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Lazar Engles (Engelstern) lived a peaceful and fulfilled life in his beloved city of Vilna with his wife and two daughters. The Nazi occupation of the city in June 1941 and its subsequent ghettoization marked a rapid escalation of horrors for Lazar and his family.

Following his harrowing experiences in the Vilna, Woronów, and Lida ghettos—the terrible overcrowding and hunger, ruthless selections, brutal massacres, and the devastating loss of his family—Lazar succeeded in escaping to the forests of Western Belorussia. There, he joined the Bielski partisans' family camp, comprising Jewish men, women, and children of all ages and backgrounds. While other partisan groups focused solely on fighting the Nazis, the Bielski family camp not only participated in this armed resistance but also created a refuge and a community within the forest. Appointed camp cook, Lazar played an integral role in this unique partisan unit. Our Partisan Kingdom is a captivating account of Lazar’s personal escape from Nazi clutches and a crucial testimony documenting the everyday life of the Bielski partisans. This memoir offers an intimate look at the determination and resilience of those who found themselves in the midst of unimaginable  atrocities, fighting to survive in the ghettos and the forests during the Holocaust.