In August 2022, an all-female crew traveled to Lithuania to follow in the footsteps of 100-year-old Fania Brantsovsky, who escaped the Vilna ghetto in 1943 to the nearby Rudniki Forest, where she fought against the Nazis as a partisan resistance fighter.

 

Since liberation, Fania has worked tirelessly to preserve the history of Jewish Vilna, and worked as part of a team of Jewish partisans to establish Holocaust memorials after the war. Once Lithuania regained its independence from the Soviet Union and Jewish cultural life expanded, Fania worked as a librarian of Yiddish books, educating countless people about the Jewish resistance for 30 years as a beloved tour guide.

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Whenever she could, she took groups to the Partisan Fort in Rudniki Forest, and continues to advocate for the preservation of this historic site. Known for her boundless energy, she told the stories of “those who died and cannot,” inspiring students, scholars, and diplomats from around the world. This project traces her life and explores the tangible and intangible ripple effects of her work and stories.

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Now, amidst rising global fascism, and with the inevitable passing of a generation of Holocaust survivors, Fania’s story, impact, and legacy are more important than ever.