Bullets flew past their heads. Tuvia and Mechlis fell to the ground. Rough, excited voices speaking German kept reaching them: “Hurrah, catch the Jews, catch! Catch! Catch!” The attackers had probably hoped that hidden Jews would start running and thus be hit

On that day most of its 1,500 inhabitants, including Pesia’s family, were shot on the outskirts of town.

With his calm, Tuvia Bielski tried to influence those around him. At times of great danger he remained patient and quiet, and because of it we did not have many victims.

Zus was tall, strong-looking, well-groomed, and sure of himself. He exuded masculine power. Obviously interested in women, his entire manner conveyed appreciation of the opposite sex. In the forest, for many women, Zus acted as an irresistible sexual magnet. After she met him Sonia’s reaction to Zus was very similar. “I was shaken. I never saw a

Tuvia’s leadership qualifications have been attributed to “a great appearance, now we call it charisma. Tuvia was the most handsome of men, very masculine. When on a horse, Tuvia really looked great. He knew how to keep a distance between himself and the people. They respected him.”

Before the war Zus could have never dreamt of marrying Sonia Boldo. Educated, beautiful, and rich, she belonged to a world beyond his reach. War and the forest narrowed the social gap that separated them. As one of the leaders, Zus gave Sonia prestige and protection. She, in turn, offered him an upper-class illusion.

one. But if hundreds of people enter at once then everyone sinks more deeply.

He would openly insist that saving lives was more important than anything else. He would repeat over and over that it was better to save one Jew than to kill twenty Germans.

Like most charismatic leaders, Tuvia was spontaneous.5 He felt free to pursue an agenda that required him to save as many of the doomed Jews as possible. In addition to using his personal ties and diplomacy, Tuvia tried to counteract the negative