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Members of the Bielski family said that they are happy with "Defiance," a movie released Jan. 16 about the resistance efforts of partisans led by three Bielski brothers during the Holocaust.

Roz Moskowitz-Bielski, who is divorced from Zus Bielski's son, David, and Jessica Bielski, Moskowitz-Bielski's daughter, agreed that "the movie was very true" to their family history.

"I had heard these stories since 1998, and just seeing it on a screen, it's bigger than life," Moskowitz-Bielski told The Jewish State. "At the end of the movie the first time we saw it, we all clapped and cried."

"Defiance" is based on the World War II experience of Zus Bielski and his brothers Tuvia, Asael, and Aron. The four brothers led a partisan effort in Belarus forests from 1941 to 1945. The effort saved 1,200 Jews, the largest rescue effort of Jews by Jews during the Holocaust. The movie is based on the Nechama Tec book of the same title.

"It's way overdue that they got their recognition," Bielski said about her grandfather and his brothers. "It's nice to know that the whole world is going to see it and if they were alive today, they would be very happy to see."

"It's really the first time that [Bielski family history] became public domain," Moskowitz-Bielski said. Although two books have been written on the Bielski's efforts, Moskowitz-Bielski said that "they got their fame, but not anywhere near this level. It was amazing to see [Daniel] Craig and [Liev] Schreiber on the screen."

Moskowitz-Bielski and Bielski, who live in West Orange, watched "Defiance" twice before its official premiere. Around 150 members of the Bielski family saw the movie in September 2008, and members of the family attended the official premiere at the Landmark Sunshine Theater, New York City, on Jan. 12.

"The director (Edward Zwick) did a very good job of maintaining the integrity of the story and yet made it palpable to the general public," Moskowitz-Bielski said. "It is a big budget film; people do want to see Hollywood. It stayed very true, yet it had mass appeal. It's a true hero story. Everyone was clapping at the end."

Before the release of the movie, Bielski said that her family history was not known to many people. However, after Jan. 16, friends began to make the connection between the four Bielski brothers and their descendant.

"All of my close friends knew," Bielski said about her family history. "I'm lucky to have the last name Bielski."

"Even the ads that have recently run actually used the Bielski name," Moskowitz-Bielski added.

The Bielski family waited 10 years for Zwick to receive funding to complete "Defiance." Zwick was inspired to make a movie out of the Bielski brothers' story after reading Zus Bielski's obituary. The story of the Bielski brothers' partisan efforts inspired Zwick.

"It's not an accident that there are all these Holocaust movies at this time," Moskowitz-Bielski said. "Once one studio did a film, the other studios want to do a major movie."

Bielski said that some Bielski family members flew to Lithuania to watch some production. One of her cousins played an extra in the film. Moskowitz-Bielski added that Tuvia Bielski's three children were consulted during production.

"Survivors are dying; there will soon not be people who saw the Holocaust," Moskowitz-Bielski said. "You've got to get the stories out and it's a lot of research, but I think this country -- and the world -- wants heroes other than ones that are fabricated in the storyline."