In discussing the Holocaust, much focus is placed on the Jews as the pinnacle of Nazi hatred. It is important to mention, however, that many others were deemed “imperfect” by Hitler’s standards of the perfect race, including blacks, Gypsies, and homosexuals. Many Christians were also persecuted due to distant Jewish connections. Under the Nuremberg Laws, a full-practicing Catholic could still be considered a mixed-Jew if a single grandparent was a practicing Jew. In Nazi eyes, Jewishness was not a question of religion but a question of race, and that race needed to be eliminated in its entirety. The hypocrisy of “race” being determined by a grandparent’s religion (since there was little else to differentiate a German from a Jew) was conveniently ignored.

Arrival of Jews in Terezin

It’s true that the prisoners of Terezin were primarily Jewish, but by no means did that guarantee a cohesive and unified populace. Initially upon entry, after they were relieved of most of their belongings, they were separated by gender, with only the smallest children allowed to stay with mothers. Elder children were also separated, dwelling in cramped children’s wards and watched over by counselors. Visitations were prohibited until the original Terezin residents were evacuated—after that time prisoners could move about more freely. Prominent Jews of higher status were sometime fortunate enough to live as a family unit, although this was a rarity even among members of the Council of Elders. However, even the few advantages of some of the higher classed Jews created strife between them and the common prisoner.

Advantages were primarily secured by occupation. Everyone over 14 who could feasibly work was employed for 9 to 10 hours a day in a variety of functions. Most went towards the running of the town, although Nazis used labor force towards their war effort in nearby mines and in various assembly and repair of war goods.  Prisoner services were also hired out to nearby farmers. Most jobs were within fortress walls, however, and there certainly was a hierarchy of preferred placement. Beyond the Council and high-ranking clerical positions, a prisoner would be most interested in work that somehow involved food. Though risky, the possibility of being able to sneak slightly more rations was priceless. Such jobs included working in the kitchens, bakeries, and gardens in the dry moat between the fortress walls. The fruits of the gardens were exclusively for SS consumption, however—to be caught with even a tiny leaf of spinach was a punishable crime.

Other forms of employment included architectural design and construction (like of a sanitation system), hospital work, and more grisly tasks like the transportation and cremation of dead bodies. Childcare was another important responsibility. Thousands of young children needed watch while parents were working, and many were orphans either from before their arrival or since recent transports. The SS-Commandery strictly forbade education of the children, but counselors found their way around this rule. By telling stories, singing songs, and acting out plays, the children were surreptitiously taught items of history, ethics, religion, basic reading, writing, and mathematics.

"Arrival in Theresienstadt"
Drawing by child artist Helga Weissova

Children also had access to art supplies thanks to the tireless efforts of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, who was an artist and drawing instructor. The artistic efforts of the children of Terezin are among the most moving remnants of these terrible times. Drawing became a sort of therapy for the confused children whose normal lives had been snatched away, and for some who were too young to even remember “normal” –Terezin was all they knew. Through their artwork, present-day viewers can see the world of the camp through their eyes, see what they missed, and see what they hoped for in the future. One of the most tragic statistics is that of the 10,000 children who made their way through Terezin, only the tiniest percentage survived. Some place the uncertain figure at 100, others at 1000, but either way it is abominably small. For thousands of children, the one mark they managed to leave permanently in this world was an imprint of crayon or pencil on paper. For this reason these drawings are preserved with utmost care, in museums from Prague to Israel to Washington, DC.