After escaping from the camp where he was imprisoned, Jack then joined the resistance group the Bielski partisans, and lived in hiding in the Naliboki forest.
Jack Kagan was born in 1929 to a Jewish family in Novogródek.
In this video, he describes his memories of his pre-war life.
In 1939, following the Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland Jack’s town was occupied, first by the Soviets and then, from 1941, by the Nazis.
In this video, Jack descibes the Nazi occupation of Novogródek.
Following the Nazi occupation of Novogródek, Jack was imprisoned in a ghetto, before being sent to a forced labour camp in 1942.
In this video, he describes life and conditions in the ghetto.
While imprisoned the ghetto, Jack and the other prisoners heard news of the German retreat at Stalingrad.
While imprisoned in the ghetto, Jack attempted to escape and join the
partisans
.
His escape attempt failed and he returned to the ghetto, but the injuries he sustained meant that his toes were cut off.
In this video, Jack describes the escape attempt and its aftermath.
In 1942, Jack was sent to a forced labour camp, which he escaped from by building a tunnel.
In this video, Jack describes the escape.
After escaping from the camp where he was imprisoned, Jack then joined the resistance group the Bielski partisans, and lived in hiding in the Naliboki forest.
When living with the Bielski partisans in the Naliboki forest, Jack joined in with their resistance activities.
In this video, he describes some of their efforts to damage the German war effort.
After the war ended, Jack settled in Britain, married and had three children.
In this video, Jack describes his memories of the aftermath of the war.
After the war, Jack met a Belorussian camp guard on a trip back to his hometown of Novogródek.
In this video, he describes the encounter.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Jack returned to Novogrudek to visit his old town.
In this video, he described the experience.
Jack Kagan was born in 1929 to a Jewish family in Novogródek, a town which at that time was in eastern Poland.
In 1939, following the Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland Jack’s town was occupied, first by the Soviets and then, from 1941, by the Nazis.
Following the Nazi occupation, Jack was imprisoned in a ghetto, before being sent to a forced labour camp in 1942.
It was in the forced labour camp that Jack heard about the
partisans
. Determined to join them, Jack helped to coordinate digging a tunnel out of the camp through which he and the other prisoners escaped.
After escaping, Jack joined the resistance group the Bielski partisans, and survived the rest of the war in hiding in the Naliboki forest.
After the war, Jack settled in Britain, married and had three children. He died in 2016.
