Often photographers are called to capture milestones, events, or special occasions. In this case, the photo session was the special occasion, and the whole crew of 17 gathered together to enjoy each others company and smile for me. This sweet family often takes time to visit their Bubbie and we held our session in Bubbie’s home and filled the halls with laughter and joy. I was truly amazed when I learned Bubbie’s story. 

The Bielski partisans were an organization of Jewish partisans who rescued Jews from extermination and fought against the Nazi German occupiers and their collaborators in German-occupied Poland (now western Belarus). Under their protection, 1,236 Jews survived the war, making it one of most remarkable rescue missions in the Holocaust. My grandparents were survivors as well, and while we don’t know much about my grandfather’s role, we know he too was a Partisan in the forests of Poland.