HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY: APRIL 28

Adolf Hitler believed that because of their “Aryan” superiority, the blonde- haired and blue-eyed Germans should dominate and conquer the world. His Nazi party considered Germans superior to Slavs, Poles, and Russians, as well as to people of color, gypsies, homosexuals, and the disabled.

Hitler’s hatred was greatest, however, for the Jewish people; in his view, Jews were responsible for all the ills of Germany and the world. He sought to eliminate Jews from the earth completely: his “Final Solution”. By the end of the Second World War, 6 million Jews—among them 1.5 million children—had been brutally murdered by Hitler’s Nazi (National Socialist) regime. Jews were sent to death camps, gassed, and incinerated in crematoria: hence the term “Holocaust” or “totally burnt”.

Theresienstadt is the German name for Terezin, a town in Czechoslovakia. Terezin was unlike the other ghettos, labor camps, and death camps that Hitler created to eliminate the Jews.

Terezin had been the site of a military barracks, and the Nazis made it into a special kind of ghetto camp. It was set up as a model camp to deceive visitors, such as members of the International Red Cross, into believing that Nazi Germany was merely resettling Jews and was treating them well.

Deportation of Jews to Terezin, 1941

By August, 1942, Terezin had a population of 41,552 prisoners. There was 1.6 square meters of space for each person. The average workweek was from 80 to 100 hours. Children as young as 14 were subject to compulsory labor the same as adults. From 106 to 156 persons died every day.

Around 150,000 Jews passed through the gates of Terezin during World War II. When new transports arrived, Jewish prisoners were then moved out to death camps like Auschwitz to be murdered.

Artists and musicians were encouraged to display their talents at Terezin, before being transported to Auschwitz.

Jewish children performed an opera in Terezin called “Brundibar”. The Nazis allowed these performances to be staged to impress visitors.

Around 15,000 children under the age of 15 passed through the ghetto camp at Terezin. Of these children, only around 100 survived.

The experiences of the children of Terezin are expressed in the poems and artwork they created during their imprisonment.

THE BUTTERFLYDER SCHMETTERLING The last, the very last,Der letzte war’s, der allerletzte, so richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.der satt und bitter blendend grille Perhaps if the sun’s tears would sing vielleicht wenn eine Sonnenträne against a white stone… irgendwoauf weissem Stein erklingt… Such, such a yellowso war das Gelb Is carried lightly ‘way up high.er trug sich schwebend in die Höhe It went away I’m sure because it wished und stieg, gewiss wollt’ küssen er dort to kiss the world good-bye. seine letzte Welt. For seven weeks I’ve lived in here,und sieben Wochen leb ich da penned up inside this ghetto.ghettoisiert But I have found what I love here.hier fanden mich die Meinen The dandelions call to memich ruft der Löwenzahn and the white chestnut branches und auch der weisse Zweig im Hof, in the court.auf der Kastanie… doch einen Only I never saw another butterfly. Schmetterling hab ich hier nicht gesehn That butterfly was the last one.das war gewiss der allerletzte, Butterflies don’t live here,denn Schmetterlinge leben hier nicht in the ghetto.im Ghetto Written by Pavel Friedman, born in Prague Arrived Theresienstadt Ghetto Died in Auschwitz,

THE GARDENDAS GÄRTLEIN A little garden Das kleine Rosengärtlein Fragrant and full of roses. duftet heut so sehr The path is narrow Es geht auf schmalem Wege And a little boy walks along it. Ein Knabe hin und her. A little boy, a sweet boy, Ein Knäblein, ach so schön und hold, Like that growing blossom. Ein Knösplein das g’rad blühen wollt’, When the blossom comes to bloom, erblüht einmal das Knösplein klein, The little boy will be no more.So wird das Knäblein nicht mehr sein. Written by FRANTA BASS born , Brno, Czechoslovakia Arrived Theresienstadt Ghetto Died in Auschwitz,

TO TOMMY—FOR HIS THIRD BIRTHDAY, JANUARY 22, 1944 IN TEREZIN

HOME DAS ZUHAUSE I look, I look Ich schaue, schaue, into the wide world. Schau in die weite Welt. into the wide distant world in die weite, weite, entfernte Welt. I look to the southeast, ich schaue und schau nach Südosten hin I look, I look toward my home. und suche mit Blicken die Heimat. I look toward my home, Ich suche die Heimat the city where I was born. und meine Vaterstadt. City, my city, Du Stadt aller Städte, I will gladly return to you. Ich käm so gern daheim! Written by FRANTA BASS born , Brno,Czechoslovakia Arrived Theresienstadt Ghetto Died in Auschwitz,

ILLNESS DIE KRANKHEIT Sadness, stillness in the room. Tisch und Stuhl, In the middle, a table and a bed. ein kleiner Spind In the bed, a feverish boy. und im Bett das kranke Kind. His mother sits next to him es fiebert, doch es ist ganz Ohr, with a little book. Die Mutter liest ein Märchen vor. She reads him his favorite story Da senkte sich das Fieber and immediately, the fever subsides. und die Krankheit war vorüber. Written by FRANTA BASS born , Brno,Czechoslovakia Arrived Theresienstadt Ghetto Died in Auschwitz,

I AM A JEW ICH BIN EIN JUDE I am a Jew and will be a Jew forever Jude bin ich, Jude bleib ich, Even if I should die from hunger selbst wenn ich elend verhungre, verrecke, Never will I submit. Mein Volk bleibt nicht auf der Strecke I will always fight for my people, on my honor. für mein Volk möchte ich kämpfen I will never be ashamed of them, und niemals mich schämen, I give my word. niemand sollte je meinem Volk I am proud of my people. die verdiente Ehre nehmen! How dignified they are. Ich will stolz dazu gehören, stolz auf unsre Ehre sein, Even though I am suppressed, eine jede Unterdrückung I will always come back to life. flösst uns neues Leben ein! Written by FRANTA BASS born , Brno, Czechoslovakia Arrived Theresienstadt Ghetto Died in Auschwitz,

I’D LIKE TO GO ALONEWIE GERNE GING ICH ALLEINE I’d like to go away aloneWie gerne ging ich alleine Where there are other, nicer people,dorthin, wo bessre Menschen gibt, Somewhere into the far unknown,in jene unbekannten Haine, There, where no one kills another.Wo man nicht tötet, sondern liebt. Maybe more of us,Wie hoffen unser doch so viele, A thousand strong,es sind wohl tausend an der Zahl, Will reach this goaldass man am langersehnten Ziele Before too long.Uns einst erlöst von stummer Qual. Written by Alena Synková, born in Prague Arrived Theresienstadt Ghetto Returned home after the liberation

AN OLGA Listen! Hörst du, The boat whistle has sounded now schon tönt die Schiffsirene And we must sail wir müssen fort Out toward an unknown port. In unbekannte Häfen Hörst du, es ist schon Zeit. We’ll sail a long, long, way Wir segeln fort, weit in die Ferne And dreams will turn to truth. Der Traum wird dort zur Wirklichkeit Oh, how sweet the name Morocco! O süsser Name, du Marokko. Listen! Now it’s time. Hörst du, es ist schon Zeit. The wind sings songs of far away, Die Winde wehn das Lied der Ferne Just look up to heaven ach könnt’ ich blicken nach den Sternen And think about the violets. und nur an Veilchen denken. Listen! Now it’s time. Hörst du, es ist schon Zeit. Written by Alena Synková, born in Prague Arrived Theresienstadt Ghetto Returned home after the liberation

Terezin Today: A Ghetto Museum

ARBEIT MACHT FREI= WORK MAKES (YOU) FREE