JPEF Partisan, Jeff Gradow, Celebrates 86 Years

Yesterday was Jewish partisan, Jeff Gradow's 86th Birthday. During World War II, Jeff was forced to take refuge in the forest when the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa. Years later the Soviets would air drop supplies and weapons to his partisan group. This help allowed the camp to launch guerilla attacks on nearby German soldiers. In 1944, his partisan group was absorbed by the Red Army.

Jeff eventually moved to the United States where he still resides today.

As a JPEF partisan, we feature Jeff's story and images on our website. Click here to read more about Jeff.


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Two JPEF Jewish Partisan Birthdays in December

Blaichman in Polish partisan uniform, 1945

This month, Jewish partisan Frank Blaichman celebrated his 88th birthday. Frank was only 16 years old when the Germans invaded Poland. Month by month, life became harder until in 1942, the Jews of Frank's hometown of Kamionka, were to be resettled in a ghetto. Determined to keep his freedom, Frank left his family and eventually joined other Jews hiding in a nearby forest. When Frank was only 21 years old, he became the youngest platoon commander in a partisan unit. Frank met his wife, Cesia, while they were both in partisan units.

Frank has documented his stories and experiences from his life as a partisan in his book: Rather Die Fighting. Purchase this incredible resource here.

Frank has appeared in multiple JPEF documentaries including "Antisemitism in the Partisans" and "Introduction to the Partisans."

Eta Wrobel portrait, 1945

Polish Jewish partisan Eta Wrobel (z"l) was also born on December 28, 1918. She was the only child in a family of ten to survive the Holocaust. Eta described herself to be "born a fighter." In 1942 Eta's ghetto was forced into concentration camps, but Eta and her father escaped into the woods. Eta helped to organize an all Jewish partisan unit of about 80 people. At one point Eta was shot in the leg and dug the bullet out of her leg with a knife.

Because of her exceptional military skills, she was active on missions with men and made important strategic decisions.

Eta is featured in the JPEF film, "Women in the Partisans," and she also inspired the original JPEF poster and sticker images.

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Bold Plans for JPEF's Future

JPEF's staff and board are thoughtfully planning the organization's next 10 years. Existing programs
are being strengthened and new ones are being developed to reach thousands of educators and
millions of students. "We want to reach every 6th-12th grade student in public, private, and parochial
schools, ensuring that they all learn about and are inspired by the history and the life lessons of the
Jewish partisans," says JPEF board co-chair Elliott Felson. To accomplish that goal, JPEF has
introduced the E-Learning Platform, a new technology that has the potential to reach millions more
and will have a far-reaching and profound impact in the field of education.

JPEF will also focus on strengthening its relationship with over 5,000 educators and organizations
who currently use JPEF material making them easily accessible to every educator who wants to use
them. This will include the establishment of an endowment, a planned giving campaign, and plans to
promote JPEF programs in Israel, Europe, and the former Soviet Union. These efforts ensure that
JPEF's bold vision will become a reality. For more information, please contact JPEF's executive
director, Mitch Braff, mitch@jewishpartisans.org.

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Class Trip to Yad Vashem

Ilana Fine Bar-hai (see Meet a JPEF Educator) recently took her class to Yad Vashem. During the visit, her class used the JPEF website to do research.

Israeli student learns about Jewish partisan Brenda Senders

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Meet a JPEF Educator

Ilana Fine Bar-Hai

Ort Afridar Ronson High School, Ashkelon, Israel

JPEF materials are now being used worldwide. One example is in Israel where teacher Ilana Bar-Hai is asking her students to do a year-long project on the Jewish partisans. The focus of the project is to utilize JPEF's online materials. Bar-Hai wants to empower her students through the life lessons of the Jewish partisans. Her students were astounded by many of the partisans' courage. "When teaching about the Holocaust, we tend to focus on camps and being a victim, whereas the JPEF website and curricula instill my students with a sense of pride."

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From Obscurity to the World Stage - Highlights from JPEF's First 10 Years

Ten years ago, a life altering conversation took place between young documentary filmmaker Mitch Braff and a man in his 70's who shared his experiences fighting back against the Germans during World War II as a Jewish partisan. Inspired by what he heard, Braff started JPEF in 2000 to ensure that young people learn the history and life lessons of the 20,000-30,000 Jewish partisans who stood up to tyranny and saved lives.

Since this time, thousands of educators and hundreds of thousands of young people have been inspired by the history and the life lessons of the Jewish partisans thanks to JPEF.

From its humble beginnings based in Braff’s basement the organization grew, moving to its current offices San Francisco while producing a wide array of educational materials and programs that have garnered worldwide acclaim

Initially, JPEF interviewed dozens of Jewish partisans, created several short documentary films and more than a dozen printed guides with the goal of getting them in the hands of educators in Jewish and secular classrooms across the country. Soon the demand for its materials included Jewish youth groups like BBYO and USY, Jewish summer camps, synagogues, and parochial schools. Now, the country's most prestigious Holocaust organizations including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, the Simon Wiesethal Center in Los Angeles, and the Anti Defamation League all rely on JPEF to bring its materials to their constituents. Nearly 5,000 educators work with the organizations' materials.

JPEF’s reputation reached Hollywood and the organization consulted on the major motion picture, Defiance. Working collaboratively with the film’s Director, Edward Zwick, JPEF then produced a teaching guide and special classroom training DVD. JPEF’s popular “Teaching with Defiance” Educator Institutes have been attended by hundreds of teachers around the country.

Three years ago JPEF developed a traveling photography exhibit of the only known Jewish partisan photographer, curated by Jill Vexler, Pictures of Resistance: The Wartime Photographs of Jewish Partisan Faye Schulman, which has been shown in over a dozen domestic and international venues, and is booked through early 2012 with upcoming dates in Cape Town, South Africa, and Ann Arbor, Michigan

In 2010 JPEF launched a writing contest which attracted 500 students from 17 states. Also, in 2010 JPEF launched its e-learning platform to meet the growing demand for the organization's materials. Now, the organization is poised to reach significantly more educators in the coming years.

JPEF will be celebrating its 10 years throughout the next year, highlight programs, individuals, and communities were the origination’s impact has been greatest.

Watch JPEF's 10 year anniversary video narrated by Ed Asner.

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New York City Gala Celebrates JPEF's 10 Year Anniversary

On a recent Fall evening, nearly 300 guests, including many Jewish partisans and their families, gathered at the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City for a heartwarming and emotion filled evening both honoring the Blaichman and Holm families and celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation (JPEF). WCBS anchor Dana Tyler was the emcee and Defiance writer/producer Clayton Frohman gave awards to the honorees.

The program recalled JPEF's humble beginnings and subsequent growth as a world leader in Holocaust education. In a tribute to her grandfather, Joe Holm (z"l), Elisabeth Holm remembers her grandfather as someone who "carried his family on his back through the forest to keep them alive. He risked his own life countless times for the sake of others...He didn't simply survive, he fought back." Read Elisabeth Holm's entire speech on the JPEF website.

Other speakers included JPEF Board Co-Chair Paul Orbuch, who talked about growing up as the son of a Jewish partisan, and JPEF Founder & Executive Director Mitch Braff, whose remarks included a tribute to the seventy partisans, survivors, their children and grandchildren in attendance. The event culminated in JPEF’s presentation of its first Lev Aryeh (Heart of the Lion) Award to partisans Cesia and Frank Blaichman and Rose and Joe (z’’l) Holm and their families. This award will be presented annually to recognize Jewish partisans, their families, and others who stand up and make a difference in the spirit of the Jewish partisans.

Watch the five-minute video honoring Frank and Cesia Blaichman and Rose and Joe (z"l) Holm. 

Read more about Jewish partisan, Frank Blaichman, on the JPEF website.

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