Exhibition opens on January 14, 2017 at The Florida Holocaust Museum
January 13, 2017 [St. Petersburg, FL] — The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) is pleased to present Courage and Compassion: The Legacy of the Bielski Brothers. This original, award-winning exhibition created by The FHM showcases the heroic efforts of three brothers who helped save more than 1,200 people while living in the forest during World War II.
As portrayed in the popular film Defiance, the three brothers, Tuvia, Asael, and Zus Bielski, took refuge from the Nazis in the forests surrounding Novogrudok, Belarus. In the forest, they formed a community of men, women, and children. Through the brothers’ leadership, the group survived starvation, harsh winters, and the threat of the Nazis and their collaborators.
“The Bielski Brothers Jewish partisan unit or otriad, as known in Russian, was unique. While the great majority of partisan groups in World War II sought to fight the Germans in their midst, the Bielski brothers cared more about preserving the lives of as many Jews as possible than they did about attacking the German forces that occupied Western Belorussia,” said Erin Blankenship, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Curator of Exhibitions and Collections.
For more than two years the brothers commanded their partisan unit in the Belorussian forests. Their acts of rescue during extremely dangerous times stands as a monument to courage and compassion. The Bielski brothers may be called Upstanders, individuals willing to put their own lives in danger on behalf of others. This exhibition tells their story.
Courage and Compassion: The Legacy of the Bielski Brothers opens to the public on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at The Florida Holocaust Museum. The Florida Holocaust Museum is located at 55 5th Street S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
For additional Courage and Compassion: The Legacy of the Bielski Brothers exhibition information, please visit: The FHM’s Official Exhibition Page.
This exhibition is presented nationally by Bank of America.
About The Florida Holocaust Museum
One of the largest Holocaust museums in the country, and one of three nationally accredited Holocaust museums, The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) honors the memory of millions of men, women and children who suffered of died in the Holocaust. The FHM is dedicated to teaching members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides. For additional information, please visit www.TheFHM.org.