Lev Pikus

Born May 1st 1927 Minsk, Belarus
Interviewed In: Toronto, Ontario
Medals Awarded: Order of the Patriotic War (1st and 2nd Class) and Victory over Germany In The Great Patriotic War,

“Yude… we were afraid of the word”

Brest Partisans

Lev was only 12 when the war began in 1939 but immediately joined the resistance. He took advantage of his inconspicuous youthful appearance on reconnaissance missions:

“I would wear a big bag over my shoulder. Under the guise of a beggar I walked places noticing what was there. I passed the information on to be processed and sent on to partisan detachments”

Walking around Brest and gathering information became Lev’s main job during the war:

“I didn’t know where the info I collected went further. My job was sniffing out, spying out and passing the info on. Every time my life was in danger. Anyone could shoot or beat me up”

Once a ghetto was established in 1941, Lev also as a liaison between the Jews and the resistance:

“When the ghetto was organized we would come there to pick up medications for the partisans. I was just 14 at that time, going on 15. They would protect me, keep me from involvement in dangerous missions. I was too young for that. I was a thin and weak boy because I was undernourished.”

Lev eventually settled in Toronto.

View Other Veterans Interviews

Aleksey Shtern

Born June 24th 1922 Odessa, Ukraine.
Interviewed In: Toronto, Ontario
Medals Awarded: Order of the Patriotic War (1st and 2nd Class), Medal for Courage, Medal For Defense of Stalingrad, Medal For Capture of Konigsberg, Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Danzig and Victory over Germany In The Great Patriotic War

Semyon Perlamutrov

Born: March 1 1920 Ukraine. Passed Away: 2012 Toronto, Ontario.
Interviewed In: Toronto, Ontario
Medals Awarded: Order of the Patriotic War (1st and 2nd Class), Medal for Defense of Leningrad and Victory over Germany In The Great Patriotic War

Fira Leikina

Born January 22, 1923 Gomel, Belarus
Interviewed In: Calgary, Alberta
Medals Awarded: Order of the Patriotic War (1st and 2nd Class), Medal For Defense of Stalingrad and Victory over Germany In The Great Patriotic War