70 years

Transcription

70 years

NEWSLETTER
70 years
The "Family Camp“
in Auschwitz-Birkenau
ISSUE No. 74
March 2013
AT YOUR SERVICE
Holocaust Remembrance Day 5773,
Apr 8, 2013
Beginning at 09:30
Marking 70 years since the establishment of the Family Camp
in Auschwitz-Birkenau The ceremony will be held together
with soldiers from the School for Fighting Fitness.
HAPPY
PASSOVER
Beit Theresienstadt wishes
all its members in Israel and abroad,
veterans and younger ones,
friends and supporters,
visitors and those using its services
A HAPPY SPRING HOLIDAY
health and happiness,
The team of
Beit Theresienstadt
Our annual meeting – May 10, 2013
As every year, the meeting will be held
close to Liberation Day (May 8, 1945)
The annual meeting of our association and the general assembly
will take place this year on Friday, May 10, 2013. The meeting
will include the annual get-together, general assembly of our
association and a cultural program.
Shortly we will send out invitations with the detailed program
and possible transportation arrangements, which depend on
the number of participants.
We hope to see you!
A
new Theresienstadt
genealogy project
has begun on Geni.
com, a collaborative
genealogy website. See
http://www.geni.com/
projects/TheresienstadtGhetto/11002. All Geni
users can add to the
project any profiles of their family members who were in
Theresienstadt.
In this way, victims can be remembered, not just as individuals,
but as members of extended families. To date over 400 victims
and their trees have been added to the Theresienstadt project.
Geni can be used for free for adding up to 100 profiles to a
family tree. Users who pay a fee can add unlimited profiles.
The goal of Geni is to connect all of the individual trees to
form one giant world family tree.
To date, the world family tree has over 75 million connected
profiles. The Jewish portions of the tree on Geni, especially in
the areas of Austria and the Czech Republic, are quite extensive
and it is frequently possible to connect anyone from Bohemia,
Moravia or Austria to the rest of the tree. For assistance on
Geni, or for other genealogical inquiries, please contact E Randol
Schoenberg, a volunteer Geni curator, randols@bslaw.net.
IN THIS ISSUE
At your Service...........................................................................................................2
New in our Archives............................................................................................10
Yours, Oded ..................................................................................................................3
Our Education Center ........................................................................................11-13
Visitors in Beit Terezin......................................................................................4
From Here and There .........................................................................................14
News from Beit Terezin ...................................................................................5-7
Related by Our Members..............................................................................15
The Family Camp .....................................................................................................8-9
Editor: Oded Breda Translations: Chava and Mordechai Livni Design: Studio Orni Drori, Haifa
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Newsletter
Theresienstadt Martyrs Remembrance Association
YOURS, ODED
To all members and friends of Beit Theresienstadt
T
his time the column is very personal, because from all
events I experienced lately, the last of them – the death
of my father, Moshe (Moritz) Breda z”l was the strongest.
My father was born 1923 in Brno; his parents were Otto Breda from
Boskovice and Olga nee Kahn. A year later his brother Pavel was born.
They had a comfortable life thanks to the family textile business. They were
Zionists, active in “Maccabi Brno” and the “Blau-Weiss” youth movement.
After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia my grandparents
succeeded to get certificates to Palestine and my father started
on his way in 1939, to Trieste in Italy and from there to Haifa.
In 1940 there was still correspondence between him and the
family, from which he learned about the hardships and the
growing pressure on the Jews, until the letters ceased to arrive.
In the meantime father enlisted in the British army, is transferred
to the frontlines facing the Germans in El-Alamein, takes part
in the invasion of Italy in 1944 and at the end of the war he
hitchhikes to Brno to learn about his parents' and his brother’s fates.
My grandfather Otto, grandmother Olga and my uncle Pavel were
deported with transport U on January 28, 1942 to Theresienstadt.
About Otto I have no information, Olga is said to have worked in the
bakery and on Pavel I got much more details, including, of course, on
his participation in the German propaganda film, as soccer player; this
information was the basis of the project “Liga Terezin” and, in fact,
this is the reason for my managing Beit Theresienstadt since 2009.
My father returned to Palestine, enlisted in the “Haganah” (pre-state
paramilitary units) and from there to the IDF. He fought in the War
of Liberation in the “Alexandroni” brigade and became an officer. He
continued as commander in the “Golani” brigade and reached the
rank of lieutenant colonel; until his release from the IDF in 1971, a
short time before I began my army service.
Near the end of his service my father began to tour the world and
became a tour guide. Through his leadership qualities and knowledge
of languages he brought many people to the special trips he prepared
in various countries.
After his army service my father continued
his trips, in addition to his regular work
and after the fall of the Iron Curtain he
visited the Czech Republic and returned
to the places of his youth. I went
with him twice; I drove the car and he
surprised me with his knowledge of
streets in Brno and Prague as if he had
not left there more than 60 years earlier.
In the last years, after my mother Lea died, father was hospitalized
several times but a fighter remains a fighter and even when the
doctors gave us to understand that there was nothing to be done,
father always left hospital, recovered and went on with his life in Tel
Aviv – he loved to tour the city and look for places with food like that
in his childhood in Czechoslovakia. Father became a member of our
Theresienstadt association, he met there people who could talk to
him about the common past and about the sad days during the war.
During the last years I taught him to surf the Internet and he got
addicted to Czech newspapers and to surveillance cameras in Czech
cities; he used to phone me often, to tell me about what is going on
in the country of his birth at the Jewish communities or on the central
square in Brno and when Terezin was mentioned in the Czech press.
On January 19, 2013, shortly before his 90th birthday, my father’s
heart stopped, only one week before the premiere of the film “Liga
Terezin” that was taking place in Tel Aviv, in which he appeared in
a short interview. He did not live to see the film.
The story of Moshe Breda is the story of the rebirth of the state
of Israel and serves me as a source of inspiration and pride. In the
film my father says about his private and the general Holocaust of
our people: “I thought that one has to go on and not look back”.
With these words I will go on.
May his memory be blessed..
Yours, Oded
Newsletter
3
VISITORS IN BEIT THERESIENSTADT
Visit of the President of the German Football Association (DFB)
O
n December 11, 2012, a delegation of the German Soccer
Association –DFB – headed by its president Mr. Wolfgang
Niersbach with Mr. Hermann Korfmacher (1st vice president amateurs) and Dr. Hans-Dieter Drewitz (vice president - youth)
and Dr. Rainer Koch (vice president - legal affairs) arrived in Beit
Theresienstadt. The president of Makkabi Germany, Mr. Peter
Guttmann and other guests were also part of the delegation.
The manager of Beit Theresienstadt, Mr. Oded Breda explained
the project “LIGA TEREZIN” which encompasses exhibitions,
educational programs, memorial tournaments and a documentary
film – all produced by Beth Theresienstadt. The delegation met
with one of the last living players from the Terezin League,
Mr. Peter Erben who was shown playing in the Nazi propaganda
film shot in the ghetto; they also met Mr. Zvi Cohen who at
the age of 15 was in the audience of the soccer game in the
ghetto. Both talked – in German – about life in Theresienstadt.
The members of the
delegation said that
the visit was very
moving and the German
association gave the
museum a donation
in appreciation of
Beit Theresienstadt’s
activities for Holocaust
commemoration. Oded
Breda thanked the
president of DFB for their support of Beit Theresienstadt and
pointed out that the change in German soccer regarding tolerance
and multi-culture is remarkable and evident; the German national
team as well as various German clubs has many Israeli fans.
This was the second visit of a DFB delegation, initiated by Mr.
Roy Rajber, special adviser to the president of the DFB. For next
year a further visit is planned.
The delegation is also visiting – together with a German youth
team (up to age 18) – “Yad Vashem” in Jerusalem, realizing the
DFB’s decision to teach soccer players who represent Germany
about the Holocaust.
Beit Theresienstadt gave the delegation of the DFB a copy of the film “Terezin League”, in German. The film will be premiered in January 2013.
Seminar “History, Music and Memory”
in honor of the late ambassador Miloš Pojár
T
he steering committee of our association decided unanimously
to name the event of our annual seminar “History, Music and
Memory” in honor of the first ambassador of the Czech Republic in
Israel, www, who died more than a year ago.
The announcement was made at the inauguration of our new Music
Room in November 2012.
Miloš Pojár was a friend of Beit Terezin and was always glad to
come and help and in this tradition his son Tomáš Pojár, the present
ambassador, continues.
With the support of the Pojár family, Beit Terezin progressed a
meaningful step toward recognition as an official Israeli museum
and it is only natural for Beit Terezin to honor this deed. From now
on the seminar will be called “The Miloš Pojár Seminar History, Music
and Memory”, this year it will be held for the 13th time.
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Newsletter
NEWS FROM BEIT THERESIENSTADT
The Music Room
O
n November 26, 2012, Beit Terezin’s music and study room
was opened. It is intended to hold all our material pertaining
to music and culture from ghetto Theresienstadt, with the aid of
audio-visual equipment and computers.
Researchers, students, pupils and the interested public will be
able to sit in the room vis-à-vis a computer system that is being
built these days and look in our archives for documents, pictures,
sound recordings and films about music composed and performed
in the ghetto.
The ambassador of the Czech Republic in Israel, Mr. Tomáš
Pojár, cut the ribbon and Mr. Chaim Feder, for the Claims
Conference unveiled the plaque –
they represented the two bodies that
helped to finance the establishment
of the room, together with families
and individuals who donated objects
or money. The head of the Regional
Council Emek Hefer, Rani Idan,
greeted the assembly.
The event was attended by members
of our association and by its
chairman Prof. Eli Lawental, the
ambassadors of Austria and
Slovakia in Israel, survivors of
the ghetto and their descendants,
guests and students of the music
discipline at the Maabarot high
school.
Sima Shachar moderated the cultural program, introduced by
Prof. Michael Wolpe, who expressed his appreciation of the fact
that the musicians of Theresienstadt were finally recognized and
commemorated, - that did not happen in the years following World
War II. Instructors and students of our annual seminar “History,
Music and Memory” prepared short fragments of music composed
and performed in the ghetto – chamber music, cabaret and vocal
music. Alan Sternfield, Einat Azulai, Maria Ljubin, Lior Stern, Ohad
Stolarz, Batya Shiner and Yair Baruch performed.
Zvi Cohen moved the audience, telling them about the role of music
in his life as a boy in the ghetto and played on his mouth organ a
melody that had earned him bread from other prisoners in return
Exhibition of art work by Theresienstadt children – Philadelphia, September 2012
D
uring the exhibition of works by Theresienstadt children in
February 2012 in Reading, Pennsylvania, an energetic woman
named Rachel Lithgow from Philadelphia, the head of “The Shoah
Remembrance Foundation” in Philadelphia visited. She immediately
asked to bring the exhibition also to Philadelphia. Rachel found a fitting
venue – “The free Library” of the city (see picture), and the museum in
Reading helped very much to install the exhibition at the new place.
On September 12, 2012, the exhibition was opened to the public.
Our friend Robert Řehák, today the Culture Attaché at the Czech
embassy in Washington, re-connected with us and addressed
the guests, telling them about the special relationship between
the Czech Republic,
Israel and Philadelphia,
the city president
Masaryk visited. Rachel
did not make do with
the exhibition she also
wanted to deal with
other aspects of culture
in ghetto Terezin. In this
framework the film “Liga
Terezin” was screened at
the opening and during
October the foundation
headed by her brought
over 8 of the participants
of the seminar “History,
Music and Memory
2012”, members of the ensemble who performed the program of
cabaret songs “Terezin – The Town as If”. They appeared 4 times
before different audiences in the city (see contribution by Yair
Baruch on next page).
In the meantime the exhibition returned to Beit Terezin and this
is the occasion to thank Rachel Lithgow and David Adelman,
president of the foundation for their hospitality in the hope that
the connection with them will continue for a long time.
Newsletter
5
Journey of the Cabaret Ensemble to Philadelphia – Personal Angles
Yair Baruch (November 2012)
I
n November of 2011, Beit Terezin’s seminar “History,
Music and Memory” produced a cabaret show “TerezinThe Town As If”. The success of the production at the
Cameri Theater in Israel engendered an invitation from the
Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation (PHRF)
for a number of performances in Philadelphia in the Fall of
2012. The article below is written from the personal angle of
Yair Baruch, the producer, and one of the cabaret performers.
After the staging of “Terezin-The Town As If” in Israel, the
members of the Beit Terezin ensemble knew that the show had
enormous potential. We knew we wanted to bring the production
to important stages
in Israel, and
abroad. Thanks to
Beit Terezin, Oded
Breda, and many
professionals in
Israel and the USA
(too numerous
to mention), the
performance
made its American
debut in historic
Philadelphia. As members of the ensemble, we knew we
carried a great responsibility of carrying the message, and
supplying the "proof" of these Holocaust victim's experiences.
We were not disappointed, and we did not disappoint.
My personal involvement began with the first staging at Beith
Haplamach in November and a meaningful visit to Yad Vashem.
In April, the production was staged in the famous Cameri Theater.
Soon after, we began our preparations for Philadelphia, more
than 4 months ahead of the scheduled October performances.
I received a typical email from Oded: "The craziness begins...
check the group and see if there is a cadre of performers". We
repeated the format that was successful at the Cameri; a small
team of eight including myself as a performer and trip leader, and
a pianist. Lists were created and transferred to the producer in
the USA, the wonderful Rachel Lithgow. No matter how hard we
tried to think of every detail beforehand, we still needed to do a
lot of improvisation once I arrived in Philadelphia. Because our
team was so small, the success of our show depended on our
ability to be creative as an ensemble; from costumes, to musical
direction, staging, translation, props and lighting. With virtually
no budget, we staged 3 performances in 3 different venues,
like a Hanukkah miracle, we worked together to make magic.
While we were making energetic preparations in Israel, Rachel
was preparing a pampering tour of historic Philadelphia for us.
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Newsletter
I arrived in the USA
four days before the
rest of the team.
My days were filled
with meetings, and
feverish production
planning with the
goal of creating a soft
landing for the artists
arriving from Israel
without any stress or
problems. My bias regarding Americans was that they were
polite, work according to protocol, and are inflexible with no
ability to improvise. I was wrong. In each situation, everywhere
we went, our hosts, though polite, were very happy to suggest
creative solutions. They were a producer's dream. Rachel and
I became "a winning team" reaping success everywhere we
went: she by bringing in audiences, approaching VIPs, and I by
doing everything necessary to create the best performances.
When the artists landed, the Hilton Homewood Suites in West
Philadelphia had special suites prepared for us especially, thanks
to Rachel, and her boss, the chair of the PHRF, David Adelman,
who had just recently opened the hotel. We knew that there
would be intensive days ahead of us, but we also knew we would
enjoy our stay. After two days of rehearsals, with jet lag, we
staged the first performance at the Free Library of Philadelphia,
the same
venue where
the PHRF
was hosting
Beit Terezin's
exhibit on
toys, games
and artwork
of the children
imprisoned in
Terezin. The
rest of our trip
was calmer,
although still hectic, allowed us to enjoy the beautiful city
thanks to Rachel, who even invited us to dinner in her home.
The final performance, at a large synagogue in Philadelphia was
a very meaningful performance. At the end of the performance,
many members of the audience approached us with the
following 5 words: "Continue, you do holy work". We promise
you, we will continue.
Inter-generational Connection and Mutual Responsibility in Ghetto Theresienstadt,
Study Day for Social Workers
T
he subject of old age is one of the subjects that today very
much occupy the welfare system. Israel’s population is aging;
life expectancy is on the rise and with that also the number of
elderly people in the population.
In the group of “Golden Age” are also Holocaust survivors and
there is a strong tendency to care for them and in a certain sense
to “compensate” them for what they went through. One of the
organizations working for this is “The Foundation for the Benefit of
Holocaust Survivors in Israel”. In cooperation with the foundation
we initiated a study day for social workers from the North of Israel
at Beth Theresienstadt, held on February 10, 2013.
The leading theme throughout the day was aid and mutual
responsibility, then and today. Then – the tragic story of old people
in ghetto Theresienstadt and the project “Yad Tomechet” [Supporting
Hand] organized by members of the “Hehalutz” youth movement.
Today – activities by students in Hadera, with Holocaust survivors.
Among those addressing the study day were Rony Kalinsky, director
of “The Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Survivors in Israel”,
Miriam Bar Giora, director of the Service for Old People at the
Ministry of Social Affairs and Tami Maroz, national inspector of the
Department for Holocaust Survivors at the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The study day began with the testimony of Ms. Alisa Tennenboim,
born in Vienna, who was saved by being sent with a Kindertransport
to England. After presenting the story of aged people from Germany
and Austria deported to the Ghetto and the establishment of Yad
Tomechet, Sarah Tauil, director of the “Kaplan” school talked about
the manner, the students of her school continue to “carry the torch”
of aiding old people, Holocaust survivors, in their neighborhood.
The initiative for this project grew out of Sarah’s endeavor trying
to correct her childhood experiences when confronting the story
of the Holocaust – she felt fear and recoiled and tried to distance
herself from the subject. Through the meeting of the students with
old people who were children during the Holocaust and through
listening to their personal stories, at a level fitting the children’s
age, interest was evoked and understanding is created that leads
to the wish to learn, more at a later age. Both sides profit from
the meetings, the elderly many of which suffer from loneliness are
glad to host the children and to talk with them – and the children
are privileged to learn the history and heritage of their people and
feel satisfaction of having caused other people happiness.
Later on the social workers listened to a detailed report on the
activities of the foundation and its possibilities to aid Holocaust
survivors.
A similar day was held in Beer Sheba for social workers of the
southern district, there, too, the lecture about the old people and
Yad Tomechet in Theresienstadt was included and evoked much
interest.
“Banu Hoshech Legaresh” [We came to banish the darkness]
W
ith candle-lighting, sing-along and a heart-warming story
members of the clubs “Café Europe” and “Café Britain” from
Hadera celebrated Hanukka at Beit Theresienstadt. The event was
organized jointly with Revital Fuchs, who organizes services for
the elderly in the Hadera municipality. The participants of “Café
Europe” are Holocaust survivors who arrive every week at the
club for various activities. The connection with them began two
years ago.
The club “Café Britain” started out about a year and a half
ago at Givat Olga, its members are mainly Holocaust survivors
from North African countries. Among those who came to Beit
Theresienstadt was the mother of Minister Moshe Kahalon, a
Holocaust survivor from Lybia.
The event was moderated and musically accompanied by Pavel
Korn, together with his daughter, the vocalist Sophie Steiner.
A representative of the guests recited the benedictions at the
candle-lighting and we related the story of Hanukka in ghetto
Theresienstadt with the aid of drawings and writings by children
in the ghetto. The sing-along gladdened all those present and
we left with a good feeling.
Newsletter
7
The “Family Camp“ (B II b) of the Theresienstadt Deportees in Birkenau
Dr. Margalit Shlain
O
n September 6, 1943, a transport with 5,007 Jewish
prisoners from the Czech lands left ghetto Theresienstadt,
“able-bodied” men with their families; they were chosen by the
authorities to be sent purportedly to a labor camp but in fact to
the concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In the framework of preparations for the visit of a delegation
of the International Red Cross in the ghetto, planned for spring
1944, the Germans renewed transports from Theresienstadt as
a solution for the overcrowding in the ghetto, after a pause of
7 months. It seems that the idea was to build a camp similar to
Theresienstadt, to serve the Nazi propaganda and to weaken
the potential for resistance in Theresienstadt (after the Jewish
uprising in ghetto Warsaw).
When they arrived in Auschwitz, no “selection” was carried
out at the railway platform, families were not separated and
none of them was sent to be killed in the gas chambers; their
clothes were not changed and their hair not shorn. The men,
women and children were housed at the “family camp” (B II
b) that was assigned to them in Birkenau, though women and
men were in separate blocks. In December 1943 a further
5,007 Jewish prisoners from Theresienstadt joined them and
the camp with an area of 150 by 750 meters became quite full.
In May 1944 another 7,503 Jewish prisoners from the ghetto
arrived and the number of deportees from Theresienstadt in
the “family camp” reached 17,517 persons.
The “family camp” was regarded in Auschwitz as a privileged
camp. Though as camp elder Arno Boehm was appointed, a
German criminal who mistreated the prisoners, the internal
management of the camp – block elders and their deputies, both
of men and women, were Jewish prisoners who succeeded
– to a certain degree – to ease the life of their co-prisoners
in the camp.
Differently from all other Birkenau prisoners, those from
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Newsletter
the “family camp” were not sent to work outside the camp at
industrial plants, mines or agriculture. They worked at construction,
maintenance and road building inside the camp and after these
kinds of work were done, the SS guards made them carry out
grueling and senseless work, to hurt them in body and mind.
The prisoners of the “family camp” were allowed to write
postcards, especially to Theresienstadt and abroad and also to
receive letters and food parcels, which supported their basic
existence and mainly awoke in them hope for a chance to survive.
This was needed by the Nazi-Germany propaganda to mislead the
world and to show that the Jews deported from Theresienstadt
are not sent to labor camps and that old people, unable to work
are sheltered in the “ghetto for old people”; this was also needed
to mislead the Jews in Theresienstadt into believing that the
transports from the ghetto are not destined for extermination.
Until the beginning of 1945 they did not know that camp Birkenau
near Neu-Berun is a part of Auschwitz.
At the registration in the camp, after an identification number was
tattooed on their forearm, beside the name of the prisoner was
written: “6SB” which supposedly meant the period of quarantine
whereas in fact it meant extermination after 6 months. In March
1944, out of 5,007 prisoners who had arrived in September 1943,
only 3850 prisoners were living.
“Only” a quarter of them died, including old people and children,
but relatively for Auschwitz, where life expectancy was just a
few weeks, this was extraordinary!
On March 2, postcards were distributed so they could write to
their families and acquaintances and they were ordered to write
down the date: March 25, 1944. “because of the censorship, which
takes much time”. On March 8, 1944, after 6 months since the
arrival of the first transport to the “family camp” the “privilege”
they had received, became their doom.
3,792 prisoners of the September (1943) transport – except for
a few dozen – were sent to the gas chamber and murdered there.
In the night of April 6 1944, Siegfried (Vítězslav) Lederer, prisoner
of the “family camp”, succeeded to escape from Birkenau with
the help of the SS-man Viktor Pestek. In mid-April, at night, he
returned to the ghetto and came to Leo Holzer, commander of
the Theresienstadt firefighters who was horrified by Lederer’s
terrible appearance. Lederer related that he had escaped from
Auschwitz and how the extermination is being carried out there:
“How our people die – 10,000 , 50,000 and more. He described
to us everything that is going on in Auschwitz, how everything is
deception, that Birkenau is on the face of it ‘only’ a model camp.”
Holzer alarmed a few of their close friends. They could hardly
believe it, they had received postcards from September deportees,
which “proved” that they were alive, even after the date of their
annihilation. Holzer and his friends discussed the matter with
Karl Schliesser, member of the Czech council of Elders and with
rabbi Leo Baeck, who
believed them. Because
of the danger to the
ghetto if this information
would become widely
known, it was decided
not to disseminate it to a
wider circle. This position
was taken also by the
second Jewish Elder Dr. Paul Epstein, when he was informed.
When the bitter truth about the liquidation
of the September transport became known
in the “family camp”, the camp prisoners
who had arrived in December 1943, lived in
dread of the fate awaiting them after the
“quarantine” of 6 months.
On June 20, 1944, toward the time of the
anticipated liquidation, resistance activities
were organized by the prisoners. But when
the date arrived, the camp was not liquidated.
The Germans waited for the visit of the International Red Cross
on June 23, 1944, in Theresienstadt. The satisfaction with the
delegation’s conclusions had tragic consequences for the Jews in
the ghetto of which 18,402 were sent to be killed in Auschwitz
in October 1944; and for those who had been deported to the
“family camp” (B II b) in Birkenau; after the Germans did not
need them anymore.
The “family camp” was liquidated about 3 weeks after the visit
in the ghetto, on the 10th and the 12th of July, 1944. This
liquidation was different from the previous one in March 1944.
Now the “selection” system was applied and those fit for work
were sent to labor camps in Germany: Neugraben, Sachsenhausen
and Schwarzheide. The remaining prisoners who did not pass
the selection, some 6,700 souls, were murdered at the Birkenau
gas chambers.
However, the singularity of the “family camp” lies not in the
sophisticated and brutal deception, also not the special conditions
accorded to the prisoners in this camp. The unique feature was
the establishment of the children’s block in the camp, and the
superb educational activity carried out there, near the Birkenau
crematoria and smokestacks.
Among the deportees of September 1943 were 274 children up
to age 14. After arriving in the camp the children lived in the
different blocks and made order and organization in the camp
difficult. The heads of the transport – Dr. Leo Janowitz, formerly the
head secretary of the council of Elders in ghetto Theresienstadt,
and Fredy Hirsch, formerly deputy director of the Department for
Youth Care in the ghetto, approached the German camp Elder
and proposed to concentrate the children during the day in a
separate block, and as a first step, teach them the necessary
German orders for
life in the camp.
The proposal
was transmitted,
probably to the
commander of Birkenau II,
Schwarzhuber and he approved the establishment
of the children’s home, in block 31 and he appointed Fredy Hirsch
as block Elder there.
The children’s home for ages 6 – 14 existed at the “family camp”
from September 1943 until June 1944. In the beginning it was
a day-care home for 180 children (younger and sick children
remained with their mothers), evenings and at night they were
with their parents. After December 1943 some 200 more children
were added (out of 353 children who arrived with this transport)
and in May/June 1944 there were more than 500 children with 2040 councilors. Fredy Hirsch who impressed the leading Germans
in the camp very much, fought for the survival and education of
the children. His main effort was directed toward keeping their
physical and mental resilience. He demanded from the children
strict adherence to the rules of cleanliness, to keep their health
and their lives; he chose councilors who taught from memory,
without books and writing utensils, who enhanced the children’s
horizons by social, informal and fascinating activities: games,
stories, singing, decorating the block and scout games. These
activities distanced the children, even if only a little, from camp
reality. He established a regular and organized daily schedule for
the children which became for them an island of calm after the
changes and shocks they had been through. On the threshold
of annihilation, Fredy Hirsch and the councilors succeeded to
preserve for the Jewish children a little of their childhood and to
let them experience something “similar to happiness”.
In the days preceding the liquidation of the September transport,
it seems that Fredy Hirsch was involved in attempts of rebellion
in Birkenau. He refused to start a revolt so as not to abandon
his wards, he tried to kill himself and died together with them
in the gas chamber on March 8, 1944.
Newsletter
9
NEW IN OUR ARCHIVES / Sima Shachar
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
M
ichal and Itzik Reicher gave our archive
two exciting items, mementos of the Jewish
community that had been in Libochovice, Czech Republic.
Michal’s family, Getreuer, was sent to Theresienstadt.
At their visit to Libochovice they went also
to the Jewish cemetery and the synagogue.
At the cemetery they found many graves of members of the
Getreuer family. Zeev, Abraham, Isaak, Elias, Moritz – all these
names appear on the tombstones in Hebrew and German.
Some of the stones stand upright, others lie on the earth.
To their surprise they found a priest who took upon himself
to take care of the cemetery and of
what remained of the local synagogue.
He gave them remnants of pages
from prayer books he had found
scattered in the synagogue.
After a preliminary investigation one
can see damaged and torn pages,
with Hebrew and Yiddish letters,
some also with commentaries.
Pages taken from the many books
that had been there, like Lamentations,
Song of songs; one can see pages
with the weekly
portion, the
Haphtarah
of Shlomo
according to
the Prague
Ashkenasi
tradition, the
Haphtarah
for Parashat
Korach, the
Haphtarah of
Parashat Balak and also little pieces of paper
that have to be assembled to be able to read
the text, … “Remember Abraham, Isaak and
Israel your servant to whom you swore” …
The second item they got is a white
tablecloth embroidered in blue shades. The
tablecloth was made by the Katz sisters from
Libochovice and was given as a present to
the great-grandmother of their relative Jacob,
she had been their neighbor.
A
mira Kohn – Trattner, daughter of the lawyer Pavel Weinberger from Prague, gave our
archives a box containing a few mementos from her father, from the period of WWII.
Pavel was sent to Theresienstadt on December 4, 1941, on October 28, 1944 to Auschwitz.
The box contains items, some of them broken, he
had safeguarded all these years and that had been
his whole world. Two photographs, a postcard
sent to Pavel in ghetto Terezin by his mother Dora
Weinberger from Prague and various personal items
he returned with after the war. A broken metal spoon.
A toothbrush and a razor; a shred of paper, a piece
of tin and glass; a tin-foil package containing a few
crumbs of tobacco; a sheet-metal lid that had been
part of a tin; 4 buttons and colored sewing thread;
a leather belt with a wire holding together its torn
part; and a purse that evidently was not Pavel’s.
10
Newsletter
EDUCATION CENTER / Tami Kinberg
Hanukkah at Daliyat al-Carmel
T
oward the traditional meeting of members of our association
at Hanukkah, Rochele Marom’s fertile mind brought forth an
idea – why not present to our members the activities of our
Education Center, not through talking and pictures, but rather
in a concrete manner? For some three years now we write in
this newsletter about the activities held together with Druze
schools from Daliyat al-Carmel, the time has arrived for our
members to experience and to get to know the subject directly.
The connection between our Education Center and the members
of our association is very important to us. Often we ask
ourselves how the “first generation” would want to see the
development of Beit Theresienstadt. What to stress in our
educational work, which is changing all the time? Do we act the
way the association laid down in its charter? We do not think
only of the “first generation”.
The question of the “second
generation” also arises in
every thought about meetings
of the association. How
could we awaken interest
in what is happening in Beit
Theresienstadt? And here
came the chance to show
members of our association
activities of our Education
Center suitable both for
adults and young people.
The joint activity grew out of
their wish to get to know and
to hear about the Holocaust. But that was not enough. Dealing
with the Holocaust brought about the question of relations with
minorities and of accepting the different other in society. Soon
the actual question arose – what happens today in Israeli society.
relating to the subject. Thus, on Hanukkah, instead of meeting
at Beit Theresienstadt, we arranged to meet for a tour of
Daliyat al-Carmel. It started at “Yad Lebanim”, the community
center in memory of the fallen soldiers, with a lecture by the
journalist Musbach Halabi, who lives in the village; he spoke
about Druze history, society and customs. He mentioned also
the Druze-Jewish covenant and the service of the Druze in the
IDF. From there we went to the home of the artist Buteina
Halabi whose paintings deal with the Holocaust. Buteina and
her husband Tamir welcomed us in their house as they use
to welcome the students from Emek Hefer who come to tour
the village. We were sitting, about 50 of us, in their living
room, lighted Hanukkah candles and sang Hanukkah songs,
accompanied by the accordion of Pavel Korn. The accordion
was joined by a traditional Druze instrument similar to a long
flute, played by a neighbor of the Halabis – Druze melodies. The
atmosphere was festive and exciting. Buteina told us about her
work as a painter and about what brought her to the subject
of the Holocaust. We went down to the front yard, where the
paintings are displayed and Buteina gave her explanations. At
the end of the day, we, of course, did not forego to view the
colorful souk of Daliyat al-Carmel.
The Druze see similarities in the history of the two peoples.
They, too, were a persecuted minority throughout time, in spite
of their loyalty to the countries they live in. Many Israelis are
not aware of the fact that the Druze are drafted into compulsory
service in the army and fulfill all civilian obligations. We saw it
as our duty as an institution dealing with the Holocaust and
its lessons, to influence, even in a little and localized way, the
acceptance of the Druze minority in Israel. That is how this
activity came about, which peaks in the encounter of students
from Emek Hefer with the story of the Druze in Daliyat al-Carmel,
connecting the present time and the past.
The subject of the Holocaust is expressed by the paintings of
Buteina Halabi and the students discover another aspect of
Newsletter
11
“We Want to Serve and to Pray for the People of Israel"
"
we Want to Serve and to Pray for the People of Israel”
This sentence, taken from a thank-you letter
written by Gertrud Hoffmann from the “Beth
El” congregation expresses the aims of the
congregation that came to Israel in 1963 and settled
near Zihron Yaakov and Benyamina. The members of
“Beth El” are devout Christians, who love Israel. One of
the tasks they took upon themselves in the last years is
aid to Holocaust survivors. They help not only materially
but also by fostering personal connections, showing interest
and regularly visiting lonely people to encourage
them and cheer them up.
The seed for the contact between Beit Terezin to
members of the “Beth El” community was sown at
the event of the vernisage of the book “The Diary
of Camilla Hirsch” about a year ago. Representatives
of the community that contributed to the publication of
the book attended the event. On this occasion the whole
congregation was invited to tour Beit Theresienstadt. At the
beginning of the year a group of about 70 members of the
congregation visited Beit Theresienstadt. The group was quite
apprehensive before coming – how they will relate to them –
Germans, some of which lived during those times in Germany?
The meeting was opened by our member Tsvi Cohen from
kibbutz Maabarot who related his personal story in German
(most of the members of the congregation do not know
Hebrew). Tsvi calmed the visitors by saying that he does
not blame them, the young ones were not even born in
that era and the older ones were children. There was
deep silence when Tsvi spoke and there were tears in
many eyes. After the testimony the participants were divided
into two groups and viewed our exhibitions; they were very
interested. At the end of the tour some of the members of the
congregation approached us and apologized in the name of
the German people. They said that they feel great shame
for what Germans did. The moving thank-you letters
we received after the visit testified to its importance
and how meaningful it was for them.
Following the first visit, a further group of older
people came to visit. Also, students of the school of the
“Beth El” congregation are due to arrive for a study tour of Beit
Theresienstadt.
“Liga Terezin” at the Youth Soccer Club “Maccabi Tel Aviv”/Chen Gordon, youth councilor
I
n February 2013 Beit Theresienstadt
organized an educational event
for about 200 boys of the Youth
Department of the soccer club
“Maccabi Tel Aviv”, the outcome of
the initiative of Yonit Nakri, Ariel
Avram and Meni Yasu.
At the workshop the stress was on
three subjects:
Teaching about conditions and circumstances that brought about
the establishment of the ghetto and the living conditions there.
Getting to know soccer in Theresienstadt and its meaning in
the life of the ghetto – for audiences and players.
The juxtaposition of images and symbols from the Holocaust
with occurrences of racism and violence at soccer events.
I liked the earnestness and the respect shown by the boys to the
subject and toward the moderator of the workshop. In most of
the groups there were children whose knowledge of the subject
Holocaust was quite impressive and there were also children
who had heard about the soccer league in Theresienstadt. The
discussions held during the workshop were fascinating since
the boys are in daily contact with the crowds at the soccer
fields and most of them already experienced the complex climate
12
Newsletter
of soccer in Israel. They spoke about the
need of detachment from what is going
on in the stalls and the ability to ignore
insulting and hurtful shouts, about the
importance of a personal example given
by the players on the field and outside
it. During the workshop I got the feeling
that the boys strengthened their ability to
identify with the positive and humane facets
existing in sport and specifically in soccer.
Meni Yasu, trainer and educational adviser at “Maccabi Tel Aviv”
wrote to us:
“I was deeply impressed by the activity, the lecture is very interesting,
with much content, giving rise to questions for discussion with the
lecturer and the players. I know for sure that the children learned
new aspects on what went on in the ghetto, and besides the
reflective thinking after the lecture the children began to understand
the connection between the ghetto and racism on soccer fields.
Moreover, the players identified with what had happened at the
Terezin League, and they comprehended the meaning of the “yellow
badge” I have no doubt that this can contribute to the prevention
of violence on soccer fields; it could interest a great number of
teams all over Israel. The subject is very educational and important
to every soccer player”.
Fourth Annual Tournament in Memory of Players and Spectators of the Terezin League
O
n Thursday, December 3, 2012,
a very special event was held at
kibbutz Givat Hayim Ihud in Emek Hefer.
The annual tournament played now for
the fourth time, is intended to perpetuate
the story of the “LIGA TEREZIN” – the
league played in 1942-1944, whose
participants were looking for some saneness and memories of
the life before.
In a huge courtyard of one of the barracks (called “Dresden”) in
which the ghetto prisoners were incarcerated, goals were erected,
lines were marked, teams were assembled bearing names of
teams favored by the players or clubs of which they had been
members, like “Maccabi”, “Hakoach” and others, or simply – of
their workplaces. The players, referees and organizers went on
with their “life as if” – the attempt to live in the ghetto most of
whose inhabitants were deported “to the East”, to forced labor
and extermination camps, or died in the ghetto from diseases
and hunger.
The event is organized jointly with “Mif’alot Chinuch v’Chevra
Hapoel Tel Aviv” and the Regional Council Emek Hefer. 12
youth teams of ages 13 – 14 visited Beit
Theresienstadt, got explanations about the
ghetto and viewed the special exhibition
“Liga Terezin”, which tells the story of the
league players and shows a fragment from
the game, documented by the Germans in
their propaganda film. The exhibition was opened in 2009 with
the first memorial tournament at which Avram Grant, to whom the
subject “Holocaust” is dear, opened the tournament.
After the visit the Tournament was held (teams of 7 players each)
at the soccer field of Maccabi Emek Hefer in the kibbutz.
The teams participating in the tournament are called by the names
of the teams of the Terezin League. About 160 boys from various
places in Israel took part in the tournament.
The tournament is supported by the Regional Council Emek Hefer.
The Premiere Screening of the Film “Liga Terezin”
T
he premiere of the film
“Liga Terezin” took
place on Sunday, January
27, 2013, International
Holocaust Remembrance
Day, at Beit Hapalmach in Tel
Aviv. Invited guests were survivors of ghetto Theresienstadt,
among them Peter Erben and Jacob Tsur, who had played in
the league, players of the junior team of Israel preparing
for the European championship in the summer of 2013,
the captain of the team Eli Rosen and its trainer Guy Luzon.
The event was attended also by players of the junior’s team of Hapoel
Tel Aviv, led by Zevik Salzer and his training team, the youth of Hapoel
Ramat Hasharon and teams from Mexico and Latin America. Among
the guests we saw the trainer Avram Grant, Uri Afek, one of Hapoel’s
old-timers, Roni Lidor, president of Wingate College and others.
After the greetings by the Czech ambassador in Israel, Mr. Tomáš
Pojár and the chairman of “Mif’alot Chinuch v’Chevra”, Avrum
Burg, Oded Breda, director of Beit Theresienstadt, explained the
educational initiatives of the project “Liga Terezin” that include
joint activities with “Mif’alot Chinuch v’Chevra”, enrichment at the
“Hamoshava” stadium (in the VIP room of Meir Shamir where
another exhibition of Liga Terezin is located) for grades 10 of
high school in Petah Tikva and an educational program for soccer
teams of the Youth Department
of “Maccabi Tel Aviv”. The latter
was held in February of 2013.
After the traditional flower
bouquets were presented to the
creators of the film – Mike Schwartz, Avi Kanner, Uri Buzaglo and
Rubi Gat, the film was screened on the wide screen and fascinated
the audience of 350, who came to see it. After the film there was
a panel discussion moderated by Amit Horsky from TV channel
1, with the participation of the author Simon Kuper, prof. Moshe
Zimmermann and Avrum Burg. The discussion was held one day
after the appearance of signs bearing racial insinuations, in the
stalls of Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem that were strongly condemned
by the members of the panel and evoked expressions of concern.
The event was produced by the team of Beit Theresienstadt,
jointly with “Mif’alot Chinuch v’Chevra” and supported by the
Claims Conference. It was held under the patronage of the “Dan”
hotels and the Czech ambassador;
the organization “Education Through
Sport” sent its representatives – the
organizations “Shamayim”, “Hayatzia”
and “Football State”.
Newsletter
13
FROM HERE AND THERE
"Ten Stars" – New Jewish Museum
T
he Czech Republic is about to open in October 2013 a Jewish Museum that plans to show Jewish life in the Czech lands before
WWII. The project is based on the restoration of 10 synagogues all over the Czech Republic: Brandýs nad Labem, Jičín, Úštěk,
Březnice, Plzeň, Polná, Nová Cerekev, Krnov, Mikulov and Boskovice, where separate exhibitions will be installed.
Further details about the ten exhibitions and their locations can be found at http://10hbezd.cz .
For instance, in Krnov (Jaegerndorf) there will be 2 exhibitions: the one will tell the story
of the Jewish community in Jaegerndorf and the district of Upper Silesia (Oberschlesien).
The second exhibition will deal with Jewish inventors and entrepreneurs who, between
the years 1838 and 1848 worked in the Czech lands (Moser in Karlovy Vary, Kolben in
Prague, Rothschild in Vitkovice and others).
The project is financed and carried out by a number of bodies, among them:
 The European Union (finances most of the project).
 The Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, which owns the
synagogues.
 Local associations of Friends of the Synagogue who are responsible for the operation
of the various events.
 The municipal authorities, for instance the Krnov municipality.
Pavel Kuca
At various events VIPs of the cities and districts as well as heads of the
Jewish communities and guests from all over the world will participate.
A year ago we already announced the event in our newsletter and
invited our members to attend it. Up to now we received a number of
enquiries by members and others who want to attend in the event at
Krnov. All those interested to join the trip are invited to contact us to
reserve lodgings.
Contact may also be made directly with Pavel Kuca in the Czech Republic,
phone 00-420-737-880-936 or by e-mail to Pavel.kuca.cz@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Shosh Sade Goldstein
Boskovice Synagauge
Concert at the Jerusalem Music Center Mishkenot Shaananim
On February 27, 2013, a concert was given at Mishkenot Shaananim in Jerusalem, through the initiative of and organized by
the participants of the seminar “History, Music and Memory” held at Beit Theresienstadt in the summer of 2012. The program
of the concert was opened by Prof. Michael Wolpe who talked about music in Theresienstadt, the fate of the composers
and the importance of the seminar at Beit Theresienstadt. The musical program was focused mainly on the composer Pavel
Haas. There were also songs written by other musicians in the ghetto and works composed during the composer’s workshop,
inspired by compositions by Pavel Haas. The graduates of the seminar were joined by musicians from the academy who were
thus exposed for the first time to music created in the ghetto and they expressed interest and enthusiasm in taking part in
the concert. The cool evening, the venue of the concert and the many participants contributed to the good atmosphere.
14
Newsletter
RELATED BY OUR MEMBERS
Jacov Tsur explains the background of the visit of the delegation
of the German Red Cross in Theresienstadt in 1943 *
T
he Discovery of a Mass Grave in Katyn and the Visit of the
Delegation of the German Red Cross in Theresienstadt in 1943
In the last year much was written about the discovery of a mass
grave in Katyn in Belarus in February 1943 by German authorities,
where the bodies of Polish officers were found who had been
murdered by the Soviets two years earlier. The Polish government
in exile in London demanded immediately an investigation of the
grave by representatives of the International Red Cross (in the
following: IRC).
The German propaganda tried to profit from this demand, as
Goebbels wrote in his diary.
On 14th and on 17th of April 1943: “… the Polish government in
exile demands that the IRC participate in the investigation. This
suits us very well. I immediately contacted the Fuehrer, who gave
me his permission to send a telegram to the IRC and to request
their fullest cooperation in the identification of the bodies … The
telegram is signed by the Duke of Coburg-Gotha, whose name is
known in England and who has many contacts there.” (the duke
was the grandson of queen Victoria; he was born in 1884, after
the death of his father Leopold who was the youngest son of
the English queen.)
On April 24, 1943, Goebbels announces that the IRC is ready to
send a specialist to Katyn under the condition that all involved
parties demand an investigation, e.g. the Soviets, too.
Goebbels wrote in his diary that the IRC’s condition does not
have to be accepted but that it is not advisable to pick a fight
with this organization because Germany depends on it in the
matter of POWs.
The IRC tried to exploit this situation and wanted also to deal
with the matter of Jews under German occupation. The German
leadership had the idea to prepare ghetto Theresienstadt for display
to the visit of a delegation of the IRC, because the publication of
the existence of a “ghetto for the elderly” alone was not enough
to camouflage the killings in Eastern Europe.
In June of 1943 the SS proposed to the representatives of the
German Red Cross (in the following: GRC) a visit in Theresienstadt
and in a labor camp in Poland; to find out if to present the ghetto,
to prove how Jews are treated in a humane way.
The visit of the GRC took place on June 28, 1943, the participants
were: Blankenburg from Hitler’s office, Walter Hartmann, head of
the Department for Outside Relations of the GRC, representing
the duke of Coburg, head of the GRC, Niehaus, Hartmann’s deputy
and von Tadden from the Foreign Ministry. The visit was guided
by Adolf Eichmann and SS- Standartenfuehrer Sowa.
The composition of the delegation proves the importance attached
by the top German authorities to the visit that lasted 48 hours.
In July 1943 the representative
of the World Jewish Congress,
Dr. Gerhard Riegner reported
on his meeting with a
representative of the IRC in
Berlin, de Pilar who informed
him about this conversation
with representatives of the
GRC who had returned from
Theresienstadt and that they were shocked from the situation there.
Egon Redlich wrote in his diary on June 28, 1943: “a delegation of
journalists visited the ghetto. They sent only young people to the
showers. They forbade to answer questions by members of the
delegation or to answer fast, so that the camp commander could
answer in their stead”.
Kaltenbrunner, commander of the Head Office for the Security of the
Reich, (RSHA) requested from Himmler on February 1, 1943, special
permission to renew deportation transports from Theresienstadt to
ease the overcrowding in the ghetto. Now Himmler permitted the
evacuation of 5.000 Jews aged less than 65 years, by a directive
accompanied by the order to accept them in the Birkenau family
camp and that the transport would be designated as “Arbeitseinsatz”
(transport for mobilization of labor). Indeed, when the transport
arrived in Birkenau on September 7, Eichmann was there to make
sure that Himmler’s order would be carried out and he also supplied
postcards to enable the deportees to write to any address under
German rule and especially to Theresienstadt that they are well –
and their address: labor camp Birkenau near Neu-Berun in Upper
Silesia.
The establishment of a family camp in Birkenau and the mail
arrangements put in place served three deceptions:
a/ the addressees of the postcards thought that it was a labor camp
in Germany and heaven forbid not in Poland and not in Auschwitz.
b/ that Jews from Germany, Austria and the Czech lands are sent
to a labor camp.
c/ to mislead the Jews of Europe and especially those in
Theresienstadt.
To the family camp in Birkenau came, beginning on September 7,
1943 until May 18, 1944 about 17,530 Jews from Theresienstadt
and in addition to them, on March 20, 1944 – 45 mental patients
from Theresienstadt were led straight to the gas chambers.
Only then the ghetto was ready for the visit of the delegation of
the International Red Cross.
* [Editor’s note: the visit of the German Red Cross took place before the establishment of the family camp in Birkenau]
Newsletter
15
2013 Events in Beit Theresienstadt
Month
Day
Hour
Place
Subject
March
5
09:00
Beit Terezin
Women and the Holocaust
April
8
09:00
Beit Terezin
Holocaust Day ceremony with Soldiers of the IDF
May
10
09:00
Beit Terezin
Annual Meeting and General Assembly
Details on events will be sent by regular and by electronic mail to all who request it
For further details contact, phone:+972-4-6369515
or e-mail: info@bterezin.org.il
Membership Dues for 2013
Members: $70.- single, $100.- couples
Membership dues and donations may be remitted:
By personal check made out to “Beit Theresienstadt”, address:
Beit Theresienstadt, Givat Haim Ihud, Emek Hefer, 3893500, Israel
By VISA credit card
PAYPAL service is available on our website for membership fee or donations.
The new service allows you to use safely almost every credit card.
Bank transfer to the account of the association: Bank Leumi 10, branch Herzlia Pituah 958, account 011810/25, address: 38, Wingate Str., Herzlia Pituah 4675234, Israel, IBAN IL01095801181045, SWIFTLUMIILITXXX
Our members in the USA may use the P.E.F. that transfer money to
Beit Theresienstadt without commission - such donations are tax-free. Send you check made out to P.E.F. with explicit order to transfer the money to
Beit Theresienstadt - its number at the P.E.F. is 2210.
Beit Theresienstadt is on Facebook and Twitter
DONATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A RESERVE FUND
We ask our members and friends, to donate for educational projects and for the establishment of
a Reserve Fund that would give Beit Theresienstadt economic stability for the coming years.
Dapey Kesher (Newsletter)" is supported by:
‫משרד לאזרחים ותיקים‬
Beit Theresienstadt, Theresienstadt Martyrs Remembrance Association (R.A.)
Givat Haim Ihud, M.P. Emek Hefer, 3893500, Israel
phone +972-4-6369515, fax +972-4-6369793
e-mail: info@bterezin.org.il , web: www.bterezin.org.il

70 years

Transcription

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