Fania Brancowska

Fania Brancovskaja ( Jocheles; 22 May 1922 – 22 September 2024) was a teacher, librarian, and statistician. During World War II, she was imprisoned in the Vilna Ghetto, later fighting in the ranks of the Jewish resistance and Soviet partisans. After Lithuania regained independence, she became involved in efforts to commemorate and preserve the legacy of Vilnius Jews.

Biography Pre-war period She was born on 22 May 1922 in Kaunas, then the capital of Lithuania. She was the daughter of Beniamin Jocheles and his wife, Rachela née Gałuńska. Her father was an electromechanic by profession and worked at the railway power plant in Kaunas. She had a sister, Rywka (born in 1927). At birth, she was given the name Fajga, but from an early age, she was called by its Russian diminutive, Fania. In Vilnius, she attended the coeducational Jewish high school of Zofia Gurewiczówna, where Yiddish was the language of instruction.

She joined the Fareynikte Partizaner Organizatsye, which was established in January 1942. She participated in producing Molotov cocktails and in printing underground newspapers and leaflets. She also learned to handle weapons. Ultimately, due to international protests, the investigation was dropped.

In culture Fania Brancovskaja is the subject of the German documentary film Liza ruft! (Liza Calls!) from 2018, directed by Christian Carlsen.