Filmmaker Mitch Braff founded JPEF in 2000 after meeting former Jewish partisan Murray Gordon - the first time Braff had heard about organized, armed Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. Discovering that this piece of history was largely unknown in the U.S., even among American Jews, Braff founded JPEF to interview many more partisans, archive their testimonies, and create films, curricula and a website dedicated to their history. Founding Board President, Paul Orbuch, the son of Jewish partisan Sonia Orbuch, helped Braff launch the organization. In 2003 JPEF produced its first film, "Introduction to the Jewish Partisans", narrated by actor Ed Asner. In 2008 JPEF developed "Pictures of Resistance", a traveling exhibition, of photographs taken by the only known Jewish partisan photographer, Faye Schulman. That same year, JPEF consulted for director Edward Zwick on the production of the motion pictureDefiance, which portrays the story of the Bielski partisans, starring Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber star as Jewish partisan commanders Tuvia and Zus Bielski. According to JPEF, as of 2013 their educational materials, films and teacher trainings had reached over 8,000 educators and more than one million students worldwide.
Program Offerings
Website Online resources include maps, archival photographs, and online profiles with video testimonies for over 54 Jewish partisans including Tuvia Bielski, Frank Blaichman, Vitka Kempner, Abba Kovner, Faye Schulman, and Shalom Yoran. Curricula Lesson plans and study guides use the experiences of the Jewish partisans to teach history, leadership, ethics, women's studies, and Jewish values. The curricula, for 6th-12th grade and college, are edited by Holocaust scholar Dr. Michael Berenbaum. A number of organizations incorporate JPEF’s materials into their programs, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Facing History and Ourselves, the Association of Holocaust Organizations, and the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education. JPEF is also a contributor/publishing partner to the Encyclopædia Britannica's Holocaust history project. Teacher Training Online professional development courses on Jewish armed resistance during the Holocaust are offered on JPEF’s website, with continuing education units awarded through Touro College. JPEF also conducts in-service workshops in the U.S. and internationally. Photography Exhibit Pictures of Resistance: The Wartime Photography of Jewish Partisan Faye Schulman, is a traveling exhibit of historical photos by the only known Jewish partisan photographer. The exhibit, curated by Jill Vexler, has been displayed in more than 30 cities in the United States, Canada, Israel, Poland, South Africa, and Switzerland.
Films
JPEF has produced 12 short documentaries directed by Braff, and narrated by Ed Asner, Larry King, Liev Schreiber, and Tovah Feldshuh. In chronological order:
