Terezin

Today was my first trip to a concentration camp in almost three years. I went to the Terezin concentration camp, which is German is called Terezinstadt. Because I had been to Auschwitz, Birkenau, and Majdanek I kind of new what to expect, however this way first trip to a camp that was not exclusively for exterminations.

The bus ride to Terezin took about an hour. The countryside was blanketed in snow and the area was surrounded by mountains. I have done a lot of studying about the Holocaust, however I did not know much about Terezin before today. All I knew that it was spruced up for Nazi propaganda and to show to Red Cross inspectors. Terezin is basically a small town that the Nazis decided to turn it into a Jewish ghetto and a transport center to other camps like Auschwitz. There is a concentration camp/ prison in the town but most of the Jews were not sent there. We visited the prison area first and saw the prison cells and barracks that some were forced to live in. We also watched a video showing life in Terezin that ended with "El Maleh Rahmim" the prayer for the souls of the departed. In my opinion it is the most powerful prayer in Judaism and usually leaves me with goosebumps, and this rendition was no different. On the outside of the camp there was a cemetery for the individuals who perished inside of the camp.

(Monument right outside of the concentration camp)

After visiting the prison camp we went to a museum that detailed the life in the ghetto of Terezin. At one point the ghetto was so crowded that the average space per person was 2 square meters. After this museum we walked to a small little room that was used a secret prayer room during the Holocaust. Because the Nazis had confiscated most of the prayer books, the Jews wrote the prayers on the wall. In all of my learning about the Holocaust, the thing that surprised me the most is how people kept their faith at a time when everything seemed hopeless. But in this room, that was part of bakery, I could still feel the spirit alive, and I was able to picture Jews praying with all of their hearts. On the wall it was written in Hebrew "Da Lifnei Mi Atah Omed" (Know before whom you stand), and this reminded me that no matter what situation you are in, you have to always remember to try and be the best person you can be and remember that there is always something more beneath the surface.

We ate a quick lunch at a local restaurant and then went to another museum about life in the Ghetto. This museum focused on the art and culture of the ghetto. Throughout all of the turmoil and struggle the victims were still able to turn to the arts and try to express their turmoil. The whole time I was in this museum I was thinking of the poem The Butterfly which I was sure was written in Terezin but couldn't find any reference to in the museum. When I got back to my dorm I looked it up and it turns out it was. The boy who wrote it was my age and he later died at Auschwitz.

After the culture museum we went to the crematorium and the cemetery. Because disease ran wild and death was everywhere, a crematorium had to be built. We drove over to the area of town where this was and by then the sun was beginning to go down, meaning it was starting to get colder. We walked down a long road to the cemetery which had a huge stone menorah in the center. There was a building next door that look incredibly unremarkable. I realized it was actually the crematorium. We walked inside and it was fittingly freezing. It was colder inside than it was outside. The walls were cold stone and the ovens were huge. I bought a memorial candle for 5kc and lit it at the foot of the oven. It was a surreal moment and reminded me a lot of the March of the Living.

(The road to the cemetery and crematorium)

Today ended up being nothing like I imagined it would. When I was in Poland it was spring and the weather was beautiful. The day I was visiting Auschwitz I was in a t-shirt. Today that was not the case. The weather was well below freezing and there was snow everywhere. While walking the prison I could barely feel my toes and fingers. This is not a complaint. It helped give me just a little more insight into how awful everything was. I was dressed in a new pair of sneakers, a hat, gloves, long pants, and a nice jacket, the people in Terezin and all of the other concentration camps had no shoes, no gloves, no hats and clothing that was far from warm and comfortable. It just made me even more appreciative of everything I have. It also made me proud that was able to explain a lot about Judaism and the Holocaust to my friends. It made the experience more meaningful. I know I could have picked a more fun field trip to take part in today, but I am extremely happy that I elected to go to Terezin.

I will have happier stories for you next time.

Alex