Exploring Camp Terezin: Sorrow, Despondency, Death
Exploring Camp Terezin Sorrow, despondency, death. These are only a few words to describe the feelings that Jews would experience while living in concentration camps. It’s said that there were more than 40,000 Jewish concentration camps in total, and with that many, a lot of people tend to forget about the smaller ones and focus on the more ‘brutal’ and ‘larger’ ones such as Auschwitz and Treblinka. But what people seem to not realize is that smaller concentration camps can be just has horrid as larger ones, one in particular being Terezin. Home to gorgeous towering castles and notoriously delicious dumplings is the Czech Republic. But exotic meals and graceful buildings isn’t the only thing the country is known for, it’s also known for
Terezin (Mainly known as Theresienstadt), a Jewish concentration camp. Different from most concentration camps, Terezin was often noted as the “paradise ghetto” as there were no gas chambers, nor random gun shooting massacres, nor horrific medical experiments held within the camp like other ones normally would. Instead, it was mainly used as a holding pen (Hussey), or, a transit facility, used to transfer Jews to more intense camps like Dachau and Auschwitz. While any and all Jews were accepted through the doors of Terezin, there was an obvious pattern with what type of people arrived. Interesting enough, many Jewish people who were brought to Terezin were skilled artists and musicians. It was said that on the daily there were at least two full symphony orchestras that could be heard playing throughout the camp (“Terezin”). The music could be seen as the light of the situation, giving many Jews more hope and happiness. Not only did the camp have musicians, but it also had skilled painters, professors, and actors. Many of the painters drew beautiful masterpieces, and some even drew of the things that the Jews would go through. The professors and actors would often give speeches, and lectures to the camp.
Terezin (Mainly known as Theresienstadt), a Jewish concentration camp. Different from most concentration camps, Terezin was often noted as the “paradise ghetto” as there were no gas chambers, nor random gun shooting massacres, nor horrific medical experiments held within the camp like other ones normally would. Instead, it was mainly used as a holding pen (Hussey), or, a transit facility, used to transfer Jews to more intense camps like Dachau and Auschwitz. While any and all Jews were accepted through the doors of Terezin, there was an obvious pattern with what type of people arrived. Interesting enough, many Jewish people who were brought to Terezin were skilled artists and musicians. It was said that on the daily there were at least two full symphony orchestras that could be heard playing throughout the camp (“Terezin”). The music could be seen as the light of the situation, giving many Jews more hope and happiness. Not only did the camp have musicians, but it also had skilled painters, professors, and actors. Many of the painters drew beautiful masterpieces, and some even drew of the things that the Jews would go through. The professors and actors would often give speeches, and lectures to the camp.