Anti-Nazi Resistance leader.
Isay Pavlovich (actually "Yehuda Pinkhusovich") Kazinetz was born in a small Ukrainian town Genechesk in a poor Jewish family.
After his parents' early death he spent some years in a state orphanage, then attended a secondary school and a university and worked as engineer.
After the German invasion of the Soviet Union he illegally moved to the (occupied) city of Minsk, founded there a resistance cell, got in contact with other underground groups and finally (in November 1941)united all of them into the powerful Resistance Movement of Minsk and was unanimously elected its head.
In the next months the underground fighters commited more than 100 successfull acts of resistance, such as assaulting the German occupiers and local collaborators, bombing the military stores, distributing the anti-Nazi newspapers, disrupting the German supply routes, liberating the Soviet POW's and ghetto prisoners.
Isay Kazinetz also planned the large-scale simultaneous uprisings of the Communist underground, ghetto resistors and Soviet war prisoners to drive the Germans out of Minsk and defend the liberated city until the Red Army units arrive, but the rebellion was foiled, because in March 1942 the Germans could detain some underground fighters- and one of them under tortures revealed the most senior resistance leader of Minsk, whose hideout was immediately raided by the Gestapo.
Defending himself Isay Kazinetz shot two of the attackers, but was finally wounded and detained by the enemies.
Tortured beyond belief he still did not give his captors any names or information-even after they had put out his eye.
On May 7, 1942 Isay Kazinetz and 28 other underground fighters were publicly hanged in the center of Minsk; his last words were "Death to the Nazis !"
After the War the Soviet Communist authorities honoured Isay Kazinetz as "Hero of the Soviet Union",but concealed his Jewish background and links to the ghetto resistors.
Isay Pavlovich (actually "Yehuda Pinkhusovich") Kazinetz was born in a small Ukrainian town Genechesk in a poor Jewish family.
After his parents' early death he spent some years in a state orphanage, then attended a secondary school and a university and worked as engineer.
After the German invasion of the Soviet Union he illegally moved to the (occupied) city of Minsk, founded there a resistance cell, got in contact with other underground groups and finally (in November 1941)united all of them into the powerful Resistance Movement of Minsk and was unanimously elected its head.
In the next months the underground fighters commited more than 100 successfull acts of resistance, such as assaulting the German occupiers and local collaborators, bombing the military stores, distributing the anti-Nazi newspapers, disrupting the German supply routes, liberating the Soviet POW's and ghetto prisoners.
Isay Kazinetz also planned the large-scale simultaneous uprisings of the Communist underground, ghetto resistors and Soviet war prisoners to drive the Germans out of Minsk and defend the liberated city until the Red Army units arrive, but the rebellion was foiled, because in March 1942 the Germans could detain some underground fighters- and one of them under tortures revealed the most senior resistance leader of Minsk, whose hideout was immediately raided by the Gestapo.
Defending himself Isay Kazinetz shot two of the attackers, but was finally wounded and detained by the enemies.
Tortured beyond belief he still did not give his captors any names or information-even after they had put out his eye.
On May 7, 1942 Isay Kazinetz and 28 other underground fighters were publicly hanged in the center of Minsk; his last words were "Death to the Nazis !"
After the War the Soviet Communist authorities honoured Isay Kazinetz as "Hero of the Soviet Union",but concealed his Jewish background and links to the ghetto resistors.
Anti-Nazi Resistance leader.
Isay Pavlovich (actually "Yehuda Pinkhusovich") Kazinetz was born in a small Ukrainian town Genechesk in a poor Jewish family.
After his parents' early death he spent some years in a state orphanage, then attended a secondary school and a university and worked as engineer.
After the German invasion of the Soviet Union he illegally moved to the (occupied) city of Minsk, founded there a resistance cell, got in contact with other underground groups and finally (in November 1941)united all of them into the powerful Resistance Movement of Minsk and was unanimously elected its head.
In the next months the underground fighters commited more than 100 successfull acts of resistance, such as assaulting the German occupiers and local collaborators, bombing the military stores, distributing the anti-Nazi newspapers, disrupting the German supply routes, liberating the Soviet POW's and ghetto prisoners.
Isay Kazinetz also planned the large-scale simultaneous uprisings of the Communist underground, ghetto resistors and Soviet war prisoners to drive the Germans out of Minsk and defend the liberated city until the Red Army units arrive, but the rebellion was foiled, because in March 1942 the Germans could detain some underground fighters- and one of them under tortures revealed the most senior resistance leader of Minsk, whose hideout was immediately raided by the Gestapo.
Defending himself Isay Kazinetz shot two of the attackers, but was finally wounded and detained by the enemies.
Tortured beyond belief he still did not give his captors any names or information-even after they had put out his eye.
On May 7, 1942 Isay Kazinetz and 28 other underground fighters were publicly hanged in the center of Minsk; his last words were "Death to the Nazis !"
After the War the Soviet Communist authorities honoured Isay Kazinetz as "Hero of the Soviet Union",but concealed his Jewish background and links to the ghetto resistors.
Isay Pavlovich (actually "Yehuda Pinkhusovich") Kazinetz was born in a small Ukrainian town Genechesk in a poor Jewish family.
After his parents' early death he spent some years in a state orphanage, then attended a secondary school and a university and worked as engineer.
After the German invasion of the Soviet Union he illegally moved to the (occupied) city of Minsk, founded there a resistance cell, got in contact with other underground groups and finally (in November 1941)united all of them into the powerful Resistance Movement of Minsk and was unanimously elected its head.
In the next months the underground fighters commited more than 100 successfull acts of resistance, such as assaulting the German occupiers and local collaborators, bombing the military stores, distributing the anti-Nazi newspapers, disrupting the German supply routes, liberating the Soviet POW's and ghetto prisoners.
Isay Kazinetz also planned the large-scale simultaneous uprisings of the Communist underground, ghetto resistors and Soviet war prisoners to drive the Germans out of Minsk and defend the liberated city until the Red Army units arrive, but the rebellion was foiled, because in March 1942 the Germans could detain some underground fighters- and one of them under tortures revealed the most senior resistance leader of Minsk, whose hideout was immediately raided by the Gestapo.
Defending himself Isay Kazinetz shot two of the attackers, but was finally wounded and detained by the enemies.
Tortured beyond belief he still did not give his captors any names or information-even after they had put out his eye.
On May 7, 1942 Isay Kazinetz and 28 other underground fighters were publicly hanged in the center of Minsk; his last words were "Death to the Nazis !"
After the War the Soviet Communist authorities honoured Isay Kazinetz as "Hero of the Soviet Union",but concealed his Jewish background and links to the ghetto resistors.
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