Terezin

Hitler and the powers that be sat down and discussed "final solution to the Jewish question" and their answer came in 1942 with the plans to "exterminate" the Jewish population of Europe. Terezin, an established Jewish ghetto about an hour from Prague in the Czeck Republic, became an integral part of that plan. Terezin started as a ghetto for elderly Jews (over 65), Jewish veterans from World War I, and artists that SS men felt would be of help in running the camp. However, as the "final solution" was implemented, Terezin became a sort of rest stop on the way to death camps that had not been completed for their deadly plans. Jewish transports from Germany, Austria, Holland, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Hungary, and Slovakia all spent time in the Terezin ghetto before being deported to concentration camps. Terezin originally housed around 12,000 Jewish inhabitants, but in the final push for "extermination" the walls of the Terezin ghetto contained up to almost 60,000 inhabitants, which caused numerous problems in sanitation and diseases. Terezin is most known for its appearances in propaganda films portraying Jews playing soccer, performing in a concert, and living "normal" lives. These films were made during a scheduled inspection from the Red Cross, during which the Red Cross saw only the "beautification" of this camp and not the reality.


Mrs. Wilson and I visited Terezin during our trip to Prague. It was about an hour bus ride from our hotel and we arrived just as the rain began. I thought it was an eerie coincidence that it rained during our trip to Auschwitz as well. It's true that the weather fit our mood here too. Terezin Museum is based out of what was once the home for boys, ages 10-15. Many of those in Terezin fought to keep their education and culture as a daily part of their lives. Teachers continued teaching, musicians continued performing, artists continued drawing, and the children of Terezin thrived because of them. Much of what is left behind in Terezin is the work of the children. Their artwork, their performances in plays, their published literary magazine, and the palpable hope in all of this for them to one day be free. Unfortunately, along with most of those interned at Terezin, the children too were deported to death camps and perished there. We learned that most of the inhabitants of Terezin were deported to Auschwitz, the deadliest of the camps. We looked at so many pictures of these children, we read their words and looked at their drawings, and I was struck with how much talent these children had and what beautiful things they might have accomplished, if only they had been allowed to live. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the walls of Terezin, but I will remember the faces of the children the most.