Public Auction #2

Collection of letters and personal testimony of Dov Berl Lorber (Malinka), the commander of the partisans in Russia
1. 15 pages of printed personal testimonies, with handwritten comments, about his activities during the War.
2. A two-page letter in Yiddish in the handwriting of the author from 22.6.1979.
3. A draft of a half-page letter in Yiddish to 'Yehuda'.
4. A photocopied certificate of the PACHACH Organization (Partisans, Sick and Pioneers) in Rome from 9.10.48 which attests to Lorber's activities as a partisan and his being "a good Zionist" and "an excellent organizer". 21.5X21 cm.
Dov Ber Lorber (1914-1996), born in Menivitz, Volhynia, North-Western Ukraine. The Jews of the town were mainly foresters and wood-traders. This small town intertwined Hassidic Shtiebels and the youth movement of Beitar and Ha'Shomer Ha'Tzair.
At the eve of World War II, there were approximately 1000 Jews in the town. Due to the arrival of refugees, their number almost multiplied. On 28.6.1941, with the German occupation of the area, hundreds of the Jews were murdered. On 2.9.1942, the remaining Jews were gathered and executed. An evening before, about 200 Jews escaped the town and many of them joined the partisans.
Dov Berl Lorber, whose nickname by the partisans was "Malinka" served as the deputy-commander of the "Krok" brigade which operated in the area of Volhynia. About a third of its members were Jews and in Lorber's unit, almost everyone was Jewish. During the activity, Malinka's unit succeeded in blowing up 24 German trains, 18 engines, 40 train-cars and 4 large bridges and killed about 300 Germans. In addition, the unit succeeded in sabotaging 28 km. of telephone and telegraph lines.
The collection of letters before us attests to Malinka's activity and his attitude towards his commanders and the other units of partisans.
Condition: Very good.