Skip to content
ZAKHORIUM
PTEN

Vilna poet and fighter

Abba Kovner

Life

1918–1987

In January 1942 he called the youth to rebellion and led the United Partisans Organization.

What the sources say

Each block is a sourced statement. Click the number to see the cited page.

2 statements

By 1 January 1942, shootings had already killed more than half of Vilna's Jews: over 30,000 out of 57,000. Abba Kovner told the youth that rescue was an illusion and only rebellion remained. Zionist youth and Communists formed the United Partisans Organization (FPO), led by Itsik Wittenberg and Abba Kovner.