The case of Natan Ring
International Journal of Military History and Historiography, April 2020, Brill
DOI: 10.1163/24683302-bja10001
What is it about?
Jews joined the Soviet partisan movement spontaneously after escaping various ghettos in Lithuania and Belarus, most of them with no military background, however desired to take part in fighting and revenge. They had to adjust to harsh living conditions in the forests and suffered hostility and antisemitism from locals and from fellow non-Jewish partisans. Inner relations between political and ideological groups among them were often problematic as well. The article focuses on certain violent events which occurred in the Rudniki forest near Vilnius, Lithuania, and specifically on one controversial case study, of the execution of partisan commander Natan Ring in early November 1943, by his brothers in arm who suspected his collaboration with the Germans while he served as a Jewish policeman in the Vilnius ghetto. Based on ex-partisans’ testimonies and memories, given in different phases between the end of the war till nowadays, the article rethinks morals and behavior in this unique space and time and how it has been perceived in the course of the years.
Why is it important?
This article sought to describe some of the darker sides of the Jews’ life in the partisan forests during The Second World War. The image that emerges from historical sources is different from the one shown in literature, revealing silenced aspects that have yet to be fully exposed. Natan Ring’s execution with his three comrades stands at the center of historiographical debate and disagreement between former Jewish partisans, many of them criticize and attack it. Until nowadays, those events which occurred in Vilna ghetto and in Rudniki forests are debated and deserve closer examination.
Perspectives
Writing this article was a personal mission. I strived to bring to light some dark and unpleasant aspects of life that were a reality for Jews who suffered in the ghettos and forests of Eastern Europe. As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors who endured the Vilna ghetto and later joined the Partisans in the Lithuanian forests, I feel a scholarly as well as a personal connection to this important subject. I hope this article will be innovative to the readers and will provide an additional dimension to Holocaust and genocide studies.
