Terezín up for pivotal role

Terezín could become the main European commemoration center to mark the Holocaust, under plans being considered by the European Union, according to a leading member of the Jewish community.

The EU is "looking at designating the former concentration camp as the prime site to mark the Holocaust," in which 6 million Jews in Europe perished at the hands of the Nazis, said Tomáš Kraus, secretary of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic.

"This evolved initially as a result of the Czech EU presidency in 2009 and a document, 'The Project for the Revitalization of Terezín,' was signed last month between the Culture Ministry and a joint venture consisting of two parties, the town of Terezín and the Ústí regional authority," Kraus said. The EU has given "positive feedback" to the document, as have U.S.-based Jewish organizations, he said.

"This document deals with issues such as reconstruction and how to give much more information in terms of education about what happened. For instance, there is a huge demand for Holocaust education among Czech teachers who want to teach children about what happened, and this program is fully booked two years in advance. But there is also huge interest from other countries, particularly Germany, and we must cater for this as well," Kraus said. "Much work has to be done, but Terezín could be the main center for Holocaust commemoration by 2012."

Terezín, a fortress town, was built northwest of Prague in 1780 by Joseph II to, ironically, protect Prague from an invasion. Joseph II named it after his mother, Maria Theresa.

The Nazis were masters of propaganda, and Hitler used the ghetto to propagate the myth that the Nazis were looking after the Jews. A film was made by the Nazis to show an idyllic town where people played soccer and relaxed in open spaces. Notable musicians, writers, artists and leaders were sent there, in part to convince the world that the Nazis were not involved in mass extermination but, on the contrary, had set up a resort for Jews to enjoy.

Terezín was not an extermination camp, and it was liberated before the delivered stockpile of Zyklon B gas could be used in the gas chambers. It served as a transfer camp for Auschwitz and was nicknamed the "Auschwitz waiting room." Like Auschwitz, it had an Arbeit Macht Frei (Freedom Through Work) sign.

Nearly 150,000 people passed through its gates, among them 15,000 children. At least 34,000 inmates died in Terezín, and only 132 of the Terezín children were known to have survived. At the height of the war, the ghetto/concentration camp held more than 55,000 Jews. Consequently, starvation and disease were rampant.

As Terezín was not like Auschwitz or Treblinka death camps, where hundreds of thousands were gassed or out-rightly murdered, the question remains: Why is it considered a prime site to mark the Holocaust?

"Terezín was a terrible place, but it was not a death camp like Auschwitz," Kraus said. "Inmates were able to organize events such as concerts; there was a spirit of life. An incredible dignity survived in the camp, despite the terrible conditions. In Auschwitz, it was far more brutal. It is this spirit of life that we would like to celebrate."

Tom Clifford can be reached at
tclifford@praguepost.com