Theresienstadt: Women's and Children's Lives in Terezin

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Forty-seven miles north of Prague in Czechoslovakia, there is a town named Theresienstadt, or Terezin. Terezin was built in 1780 by the Austrian Emperor, Joseph the II, and named after his mother, the Empress Maria Theresa. It consisted of a Small Fortress on one side, and a Big Fortress on the other side of the Ohre River. Terezin's Small Fortress served as a prison for military and political opponents to the Hapsburg monarchy in the early 19th century. 4 However, the most tragic part of Terezin's history came after the Czech lands were occupied by Nazi Germany. Terezin's Small Fortress was converted to a police prison of the Prague Gestapo in June 1940; in November 1941, a ghetto and concentration camp for the Jews was established in the Big Fortress and town of Terezin. 4 "Here, horror overcame us, shook us, and ate into our very soul." 7

Originally, Terezin was meant to house 2,000 civilians and 5, 000 soldiers. However, in 1941 through 1945, 60,000 Jews were confined there. One hundred and forty-two thousand Jews passed through the weigh-station, 15,000 being children less than fifteen years old. Only one hundred children survived. Eighty-eight thousand Jews were deported to Auschwitz. Out of those deported, only 3500 survived. 2

There were many misconceptions about Terezin. Many of the Jews were led to believe that Terezin was a transit ghetto designed to provide security. German's had painted a pretty picture of the comfortable and pleasant conditions. People brought along curtains, vases, and other items to make their new surroundings more like home. Jews were told there was an old person's home and multiple health resorts. "The new arrivals sometimes asked at the station or in the `sluice' if...

... middle of paper ...

...ear and hunger and torture. However, many were still full of despair. Millions were gone: parents, siblings, spouses, and friends--"at the wave of a murderer's hand." 5

Beit Theresienstadt at Kibbutz Givat Chaym Ichud was erected in memory of the Jews of Ghetto Theresienstadt who perished during the Nazi persecution. Once a year, survivors come here to share, tell, and remember. Drawings, books, games, documentaries, and many other things that were recovered from Terezin remain here today. 5 "We shall never forget."

"Everything can be done!

No matter how bitter the times.

Hand in hand we look to the future

With a light heart.

Tomorrow our lives begin again;

We'll pack our belongings

And go home free men.

We'll laugh as we stand

On the ruins of the ghetto,

Because hand in hand

Everything can be done!

--Anthem of Terezin Ghetto2

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