b'BC_5782_2021final_cmyk_Layout 18/8/219:46 AMPage 5In all, some 30,000 Jewsof whom perhaps ten percent were womenjoined the resistance. Joining was difficult. Mostpartisan brigades were made up primarily of gentiles and would not accept Jews for a number of reasons: antisemitism; becausetheir members believed Jews made inferior fighters; and because the Jewish volunteers were lacking weapons and often in poorhealth. Women faced the added obstacle of pervasive sexism.Womens stories during the resistance have, to a considerable extent, been forgotten. They werent included in histories of thewar, which were written primarily by men. Because much of the actual combat was done by men, most women didnt fit thestandard narrative of resistance fighters. Many women were reluctant to speak of their experiences afterwards, and in somecases were discouraged from doing so. After survivors accounts of experiences in the concentration camps started beingpublished, they to some degree crowded out stories of the resistance.There are extensive resources available for learning more. In particular, the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation has beenactive in documenting and educating people about partisan history, and its website, jewishpartisans.org, contains a sectionabout Jewish women in the partisans that has served as one of the sources for this calendar. Special mention should also bemade of Aviva Kempner and Josh Waletzkys extraordinary 1986 documentary Partisans of Vilna, the first major film todocument the work of the men and women of the resistance. The Jewish Womens Archive, jwa.org, is a trove of information.And Judy Batalions The Light of Daysweaves together the stories of so many of those women.As a result of the work of Batalion and others, no longer will womens efforts during the resistance be thought of as subordinateto that of men, and further research will unquestionably bring more stories to light. In this calendar, we briefly recount someof the narratives told by Batalion and others.Ralph Hammelbacher This years edition was edited by Ralph Hammelbacher. Hella Hammelbacher created the original design, which was ablyrealized by Jacqueline Enrique.'