The document summarizes a football match that took place in the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II. It describes how a painting was discovered decades later that depicted the match, allowing survivors to identify players. One survivor, Peter Erben, is profiled - he survived 5 camps and immigrated to Israel with his wife. A museum was opened in Israel honoring the Theresienstadt Jewish football league, which helped prisoners cope psychologically. The short match footage provides a rare glimpse into life in the camp.

1. Idan.ofer@gmail.com
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2. HANS MUNK, THE PAINTER
In the crowd, among the watchers, there was also
A SPECIAL MUSEUM:
a painter who was a jewish guard. Only in the late
eighties, one of his paintings made its way to the MEIR SHAMIR IN THE 'MOSHAVA MUZEUM'
hands of PETER EISENBERG, a player in that
match who survived. In the same match, the
germans shot a propaganda film. Peter, The
survivor, was in Petach Tikva in the opening of
the museum. Amazingly, the painting and the
remains of the film show the same moments in
the game. Watch for yourselves.
THE LEFT BACK
PETER WAS AN ATHLET LONG BEFORE THE WAR.
THAT'S WHY HE JOINED ONE OF THE GROUPS IN
TEREZIN. IN THE FILM YOU CAN SEE HIM RUNNING
AFTER THE BALL, WITH BANDANA ON HIS HEAD. IN
ASHKELON TODAY HE IS KNOWN AS PETER ERBEN.
ONE OF THE LAST FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO ARE ON FEBRUARY 6TH, 2012, MEIR SHAMIR DEDICATED
STILL ALIVE TODAY FROM TEREZIN. HIS PRIVATE VIP SUITE IN "HAMOSHAVA STADIUM"
IN PETACH TIKVA AS A SPECIAL MUSEUM FOR
INSTEAD OF WRITING ABOUT THE TEREZIN GHETTO. HE DID IT IN ORDER TO HONOR
HOLLOCAUST AND 6,000,000 VICTIMS, I AND REMEMBER THE JEWISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE
DECIDED TO WRITE ABOUT GHETTO IN TEREZIN, WHICH WAS MEANT TO BE A SHOW-OFF
THERESIENSTADT. A RESULT OF WHAT FOR THE WORLD. I WAS TOUCHED BY MEIR'S
GESTURE. THIS SPECIAL BULLETIN IS MY ANSWER
I SAW IN THE NEW STADIUM IN P.T.
TO HIS DEED.
THE PAINTINGS ON FIRST AND LAST
PAGES WERE DRAWN BY PRISONERS
IN TEREZIN.
THE MISSING FILM
THE FALL OF WARSAW GHETTO THE NAZIS DECIDED TO
MAKE A MOVIE ABOUT THE
THE ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY FOR THE VIVID LIFE IN TEREZIN. ONLY
HOLLOCAUST IN ISRAEL IS THE DATE SHORT PARTS WERE
WHEN THE SIEGE STARTED IN DISCOVERED. MOST OF THE
PEOPLE SHOWN IN THE
WARSAw, TOWARD THE END OF THE
MOVIE WERE KILLED,
HEROIC UPRISING AGAINST THE NAZIS. INCLUDING THE DIRECTOR
KIBBUTZ YAD MORDECHAY WAS WHO NEVER HAD A CHANCE
NAMAED AFTER THE LEADER – TO SEE IT EDITTED. IN THE
MORDECHAY ANILEVICH. NEW MUSEUM YOU CAN SEE
3.5 MINUTES OF THAT
THIS IS THE DAY I ISSUE THIS SPECIAL MATCH. ALSO IN BEIT
BULLETIN. TEREZIN.
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3. STORY OF A PHOTO FROM THERESIENSTADT GHETTO
BY ODED BREDA
I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT A LONG SPECIAL JOURNEY I HAVE MADE, IN ORDER TO FIND THE
SOURCE OF THIS PICTURE. I HAD A VISITOR FROM CHILE WHO CLAIMED THAT THE MAN, WITH THE
WHITE SHIRT, WAS PAVEL BREDA, THE BROTHER OF MY FATHER. THE OLD PIECE OF NEWSPAPER
WAS A SURPRISE. LET ALONE A SHOCK: WHO CAN BELIEVE THAT JEWS WERE PLAYING FOOTBALL
IN A GHETTO??? WAS IT A 'SUMMER CAMP'?
IN JUNE 1944, THE NAZIS DECIDED THEY HAD TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT ALL THE RUMUORS
ABOUT CONCENTRATION CAMPS WERE ONLY PROPAGANDA OF THE ALLIED COUNTRIES AND THE
JEWS'. THEY PREPARED TEREZIN FOR THE VISIT OF THE RED CROSS AND 2 MONTH LATER FOR THE
FILM, WHICH WAS DIRECTED BY THE JEWISH DIRECTOR KURT GERRON, WHO WAS SENT TO
AUSCHWITZ, RIGHT AFTER THE FILMING.
IN THE FILM, THEY SHOWED THE JEWS IN TEREZIN. PROPERLY DRESSED, SPENDING TIME IN
COFFEE SHOPS, THEATERS, LIBRARIES, CONCERTS ETC. BEFORE FILMING, THEY REDUCED THE
POPULATION BY SENDING PEOPLE "TO THE EAST", MEANINGLY: EXTERMINATION.
SURPRISINGLY, LIGA TEREZIN EXISTED 3 YEARS, WITH 12 GROUPS. IN THE COURTYARD CALLED
"DRESDEN". IT WAS ORGANIZED BY THE LEGENDARY FREDY HIRSCH WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
PART OF THE GERMAN OLYMPIC TEAM, IN 1936. HE WAS KICKED OUT, OF COURSE. IN "YAD
VASHEM", IN JERUSALEM, THERE IS A SPECIAL MEMORIAL EXHIBIT IN HIS HONOR.
IN LIGA TEREZIN, THERE WERE PLAYING GROUPS WITH NAMES CONNECTED TO THEIR WORKING
PLACES: THE COOKS, THE BUTCHERS, CLOTHS WAREHOUSE ETC. SOME GROUPS HAD NAMES OF
FORMER TRADITIONAL JEWISH TEAMS LIKE "MACCABI", "HAGIBOR" AND EVEN "HAKOACH VIENNA".
ON THE NEXT PAGE YOU CAN SEE A LEAGUE-TABLE FOR EXAMPLE:
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4. 4

5. IT WAS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS MY UNCLE IN THE PICTURE. HIS LAST PHOTO I KNEW WAS
FROM 1939, WHEN HE WAS 15 YEARS OLD. WE ALL KNOW HOW WE CHANGE FROM 15 TO 20, THE
AGE HE WAS WHEN HE WAS IN GHETTO THERESIENSTADT. BUT, CAN YOU REALLY IDENTIFY A
MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY? IS IT NOT ONLY A WISH OF YOUR HEART? WE ALL REMEMBER THE
FAMOUS PHOTO OF THE JEWISH CHILD, WITH HIS ARMS IN THE AIR IN THE GHETTO, FACING
GERMAN RIFLES. 9 DIFFERENT PEOPLE IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES IN THAT PHOTO AS THAT CHILD.
FOR MANY YEARS, THERE WAS NO ANSWER TO MY QUESTION. MEANWHILE, THE MOVIE WAS
SHOWN IN "PILLAR OF FIRE" [AMUD HA'ESH] AND WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THE PLAYERS FOR FEW
SECONDS IN THE MATCH IN TEREZIN. I KEPT THIS SHORT VIDEO ON MY PC FOR YEARS, OF
COURSE.
IN 2005, THERE WAS A STORY IN ISRAEL CHANNAL 5, ABOUT LIGA TEREZIN. THEN I REALIZED THAT
THERE IS A PLAYER ALIVE FROM THE SAME TEAM, PETER ERBEN FROM ASHKELON, I WENT TO SEE
HIM. PETER CONFIRMED THE STORY OF MY UNCLE, ASKING ME TO READ HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHIC
BOOK "IN MY OWN PATH". THERE, ON PAGE 65, PETER TELLS ABOUT THE GAME WHICH WAS
FILMED, ABOUT THE TEAMS, AND I FROZE: PETER AND MY UNCLE – PAVEL BREDA - WERE
DEFENDING THE GAUL TOGETHER. THE CIRCLE WAS CLOSED. I FINALLY FOUND MY UNCLE, NO
MORE NO LESS – IN MY FAVORITE HOBBY - FOOTBALL.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY UNCLE, THE DETAILS ARE WELL DOCUMENTED. HE
WAS TRANSPORTED TO AUSCHWITZ IN TRANSPORT EL-72 ON 29.9.1944. THE MATCH IN TEREZIN
WAS PROBABLY THE LAST HE EVER TOOK PART IN. THE SHOW WAS OVER. ON 8.5.1945 19,000
SURVIVORS IN TEREZIN WERE LIBERATED, REMAINS OF 160,000 WHO PASSED THROUGH.
MY FATHER, MOSHE, CAME FROM BRNO, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, WITH "ALIYAT HANOA'R", IN JANUARY
1940. HE JOINED THE BRITISH ARMY AND FOUGHT IN EUROPE. LATER, HE TOOK PART IN THE WAR
OF INDEPENDENCE, SERVING 26 YEARS MORE IN THE IDF. HE ALWAYS TOOK ME WITH HIM TO
WATCH FOOTBALL MATCHES. WHERE I WAS 'INFECTED' WITH THIS HOBBY.
I DEDICATE THIS ARTICLE TO MY UNCLE, ON THE MEMORIAL DAY, TO MY UNCLE PAVEL BREDA
WHOM I HAVE NEVER KNOWN.
ODED BREDA
DIRECTOR OF BEIT TEREZIN
PETER AND ODED
6/2/2012
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6. THE MAN WHO SURVIVED 5 CAMPS
HE ONLY ASKED ME TO JOIN HIM TO THE
CEREMONY. WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS
WAITING FOR US. IN ASHKELON HE IS A
WELL KNOWN CONTRACTOR. STRONG AND
OPTIMISTIC. IN THERESIENSTADT,
AUSCHWITZ, BIRKENAU, MAUTHAUSEN AND
GUSEN HE WAS ONLY A NUMBER: B 11033. PETER PLAYING IN TEREZIN
SINCE THAT WAR HIS NAME IS PETER ERBEN.
HANS MUNK'S DRAWING
HE SURVIVED TEREZIN THANKS TO FREDY DRAWING FROM TEREZIN
HIRSCH WHO GAVE HIM A JOB IN THE
GHETTO. FREDIE DIDN'T MAKE IT, PETER PETER DID NOT KNOW THAT HANS
DID. THE FOOTBALL WAS ANOTHER WAY MUNK DREW THE PICTURE YOU
OF SURVIVING. IN AUSCHWITZ, HIS SEE ON THE RIGHT. MUNK GAVE
OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING SAVED HIM. IT HIS WORK TO HIS WIFE AND WAS
WAS THE SAME IN MAUTHAUSEN. PETER SENT TO AUSCHWITZ. HIS SON GOT
BELIEVES IT WAS SIMPLY LUCK. IT ALL AND HID IT IN THE ATTICK,
NOT KNOWING WHAT HE HID. AS A
AFTER THE WAR, PETER MET EVA LEWIT. SUCCESSFUL PILOTE HE NEVER 62/2/02/
THE LAST TIME THEY MET WAS WEN SHE GAVE IT TIME AND THOUGHT. IN
WAS 12. NOW HE TOOK HER FROM THE THE EIGHTIES HE DECIDED TO
ORPHANAGE WHERE SHE WAS STAYING. CHECK THE TREASURE. HE CALLED
NEVER SEPERATED AGAIN. THEY GOT PETER AND GAVE HIM THE
PICTURE. THIS PICTURE IS THE
MARRIED IN PARIS, CAME TO ISRAEL AND
COVER OF PETER'S BOOK. YOU
THEY LIVE IN ASHKELON SINCE 1951.
CAN SEE THE SAME MOMENT OF PETER WITH EHUD ULMERT
PETER WROTE 2 BOOKS ABOUT HIS LIFE. THE GAME IN THE NAZI FILM.
THE FIRST IS ABOUT HIS LIFE IN EUROPE
AND THE SECOND ABOUT HIS NEW LIFE. IN THE MOSHAVA STADIUM
ON THE RIGHT YOU CAN ALSO SEE
HIS WIFE, EVA, WROTE A BOOK OF HER 2 OF THE GUESTS WHO CAME TO
OWN ABOUT THE "DEATH MARCH" IN THE CEREMONY IN PETACH TIKVA.
WHICH SHE TOOK PART. SHE IS THE LAST ALL THE PEOPLE THERE WERE
SURVIVOR OF THAT MARCH AND SHE IS PROUD TO MEET A PLAYER WHOM
INVITED TO LECTURE ABOUT IT ALL OVER THEY SEE IN THE FILM AND
THE WORLD. SURVIVED – PETER ERBEN.
EVA AND PETER HAVE THREE CHILDREN, THE COMBINATION OF A MODERN 62/2/02/
DANIELA, ALON AN AMIR. NINE STADIUM AND A MEMORIAL
GRANDCHILDREN AND TEN GREAT MUSEUM FOR LIGA TEREZIN IS SO
UNIQUE, SO I DECIDED TO TELL PETER AND FAMILY AT WORK
GRANDCHILDREN.
YOU ALL ABOUT IT.
OFER IDAN
ASHKELON
6
TH
APRIL 19 . 2012

7. MISTAKE
SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT TEREZIN WAS A RECREATION SUMMER DEATH NUMBERS
CAMP. WHAT A MISTAKE. THE RESIDENTS NEVER KNEW THEY WERE
WAITING FOR EAST-TRANSPORTS. CULTURAL ACTIVITIES WERE A
DURING 3.5 YEARS, 163,200 PRISONERS INHABITTED
REFUGE FROM THE EMPTINESS AND THE NAZIS PREFERED IT THAT
WAY, RATHER THAN UPRISING WHICH NEVER CAME. THE LONG TEREZIN. IT WAS A TRANSFER STATION FOR
ARTIFICIAL SILENCE WAS CUT FROM TIME TO TIME. THE VISIT OF THE EXTERMINATION AND THE RESIDENTS KNEW NOTHING
RED CROSS PRODUCED TOUGH REPORT. THE GERMANS PREPARED ABOUT IT. THEY WERE BROUGHT FROM BOHEMIA,
A NEW VISIT. THIS TIME, THE TRACK OF THE VISIT WAS THOROUGHLY
CHOSEN, NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO TALK TO THE VISITORS. COFFEE
MORAVIA, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, HOLLAND, DENMARK,
SHOPS AND THEATERS WERE PART OF THE TOUR. A WELL DIRECTED SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY AND MORE PLACES.
AND REFINED SHOW. THE PRODUCTION OF THE FILM WAS DECIDED
UPON ONLY BEFORE THE END OF THE WAR. THE PUBLIC AND 88,129 RESIDENTS WERE SENT TO DIE IN THE EAST BETWEEN
PLAYERS WERE DIRECTED HOW TO ACT ALL WAY LONG. YOU CAN 9.1.1942 AND 28.10.1944, INCLUDING THE FOOTBALL
SEE PART OF PERSONAL EVIDENCE DOWN THIS PAGE.
TEAMS. 35,217 RESIDENTS DIED IN TEREZIN FROM SICKNESS
OR FATIGUE.
ONLY 4,136 SURVIVORS REMAINED FROM THIS CAMP.
KICKOFF THEATER IN THERESIENSTADT
ON OCTOBER 22ND. 2012, THERE WAS A A SPECIAL DAY WAS DEDICATED TO THE ARTS OF THE THEATER IN TEREZIN
MEMORIAL LEAGUE TOURNEMENT IN ISRAEL. IN YAD VASHEM, ON MARCH 15.3.2012.
GUESTS ARRIVED FROM ENGLAND AND
THE DAY WAS DIRECTED BY DR. BELLA GUTERMAN, THE HEAD OF THE
ARGENTINA ALSO. SPECIAL SHIRTS WERE
INTRNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH OF HOLOCAUST IN YAD
PRINTED FOR THE OCCASION, WITH THE
VASHEM.
ORIGINAL NAMES OF TEAMS FROM
THERESIENSTADT. PART OF THEM – THE CZECH AMBASSDOR WAS A GUEST OF HONOR AND MANY SCHOLARS
CHILDREN'S LEAGUE, BECAUSE THEY ALSO AND WRITERS SPOKE ABOUT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE THEATER IN
HAD THEIR TEAMS THERE. TEREZIN.
PETER ERBEN WAS HONORED WITH THE
KICKOFF. HIS NAME WAS PRINTED ON THE
SHIRT HE WAS GIVEN. WITH THE NAME OF
HIS OLD GROUP.
THE GAME WAS ORGANIZED BY MACCABI
WHICH WAS ALSO REPRESENTED IN TEREZIN.
GUESTS ON THAT DAY SAY THAT OF ALL THEIR
VISITS TO ISRAEL AND MUSEUMS, THIS WAS
THE MOST EXCITING.
THE KICKOFF
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8. AMONG THE RESIDENTS OF THERESIENSTADT THERE WAS ALSO JACOV TZUR FROM KIBBUTZ NA'AN.
TODAY HE IS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ASSOSSIATION OF SURVIVORS FROM THE LABOR CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN
RAVENSBRüCK AND SACHSENHAUSEN. HE ALSO ATTENDED THE FOOTBALL GAME ON THAT DAY, IN TEREZIN. LIKE PETER,
JACOV SURVIVED FEW CAMPS AND IMMIGRATED TO ISRAEL. HIS ARTICLE IS BROUGHT HERE WITH MUCH APPRECIATION
AND NEEDS NO FURTHER EXPLANATION ABOUT THE NAZI POLICY BEHIND THE HORROR:
ESTABLISHING FAMILIES CAMP FOR
JEWS FROM TEREZIN IN BIRKENAU
THE THIRD REICH WAS AN UNREASONABLE PHENOMENON AND A FAMILY CAMP, IN THE AUSCHWITZ INFERNO,
WAS UN BELIEVABLE. WHEN THE NAZIS WON THE REGIM IN GERMANY, IN 1933, OPRESSION OF THE JEWS
STARTED AND INCREASED STEP BY STEP. ON JANUARY 30TH. HITLER SAID IN THE REICHSTAG THAT IF THE
INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL JEWERY SUCCEEDS AGAIN TO INVOLVE THE WORLD'S NATIONS IN A NEW WORLD
WAR, THE RESULT WOULD BE THE EXTERMINATION OF THE JEWISH RACE IN EUROPE.
AFTER THE DECLARATION OF WAR BY BRITAIN AND FRANCE, ON SEPTEMBER 3RD. 1939, THE HIGHEST SS
COMMANDER, REINHARD HEYDRICH, SENT A TELEGRAM TO THE COMMANDERS OF THE SECURITY POLICE,
INCLUDING GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT THE POLICY CONCERNING JEWS IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES:
SECRECY MUST BE KEPT ABOUT THE FINAL PLAN. WE MUST DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE FINAL GAUL, WHICH
MAY TAKE TIME, AND THE STAGES TOWARDS THAT GAUL, WHICH WILL BE ACHIEVED GRADUALLY.
1.FIRST STEP – TO GATHER ALL JEWS IN BIG CITIES. MUST BE DONE QUICKLY.
2.IN EVERY JEWISH COMMUNITY A LOCAL COUNCIL MUST BE SET FROM RABBIES AND LOCAL PUBLIC FIGURES.
IN JUNE 1941, AFTER INVADING RUSSIAN TERRITORIES, GERMANS STARTED KILLING THE JEWS THEY MET. IT
WAS ALSO DECIDED TO EXILE THE JEWS FROM CENTRAL EUROPE. KILLING WAS NOT SPOKEN YET, UNLIKE THE
RUSSIAN JEWS. THEY DECIDED TO START WITH JEWS FROM GERMANY AND THE PROTECTORAT, NAMELY –
FORMER CZECHOSLOVAKIA, TO THE NEW TERRITORIES OF GERMANY IN POLAND. THUS, THEY COULD PLAN
SENDING THEM FURTHER TO THE EAST IN THE FOLLOWING SPRING.
IN ADDITION TO ALL HIS TITLES, HEYDRICH GOT THE NOMINATION OF THE COMMISSIONAIR ON 27.9.1941
[REPLACING HIM] IN FORMER CZECHOSLOVAKIA. HE WANTED TO EXILE ALL THE CZECH JEWS IN FEW WEEKS.
FIRST – 5,000 PEOPLE FROM PRAGE TO LODGE. HIGH GERMAN OFFICIALS REFUSED TO GET MORE. THE
SOLUTION FOR A NEW PLACE WAS THERESIENSTADT. ABOUT WHICH THEY SPOKE BEFORE WITH ADOLPH
EICHMAN [ON OCTOBER 23RD.] AS A POSSIBLE LODGE FOR THE ELDERLY JEWS FROM GERMANY AND AUSTRIA,
AND FOR THOSE WHO HAD SPECIAL CONTACTS.
BEFORE THE FIRST JEW ARRIVED IN TEREZIN, IN NOVEMBER 1941, THE GERMAN INSTITUTES DECIDED THAT
THIS GHETTO WAS NOT MEANT FOR JEWS ONLY. IT WAS ALSO A TRANSIT STATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE SENT
TO THE 'EAST'. THERE WAS OBJECTION IN GERMANY TO EXILE JEWS WHO WERE MARRIED TO ARIANS AND
THEIR FAMILIES. THE ARMY OBJECTED DEPORTATION OF WAR VETERANS AND HEROS FROM WW1. THERE WAS
ALSO FEAR FROM DISAPPEARANCE OF DIFFERENT FAMOUS PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO HAD CONNECTIONS WITH
THE REGIM ETC. THE PUBLIC DID NOT BELIEVE NOR THE STORY ABOUT JEWS BEING SENT TO THE EAST TO
WORK , NEITHER THE STORY ABOUT SENDING OLD PEOPLE AND CHILDREN.
THERE WAS A NEED TO SHOW THE PEOPLE THE "TRUTH". THE GERMANS NEEDED TO USE
DECEPTION, FRAUD, CAMOUFLAGE AND DISINFORMATION ABOUT THE DESTINATIONS OF ALL JEWISH
TRANSPORTS. THE GHETTO IN THERESIENSTADT WAS EXACTLY WHAT THEY USED FOR IT.
8

9. TO THIS GHETTO THEY TRANSFERED OLD JEWS AND OLD WAR DECORATED VETERANS. IN WANNSEE
CONFERENCE, IN JANUARY 1942, HEYDRICH ANNOUNCED THAT IN THIS WAY THEY WILL AVOID
UNNECESSARY INTERFERING. THIS WAS A KEY SENTENCE TO COVER EXTERMINATING BY EVACUATING. FOR
MOST OLD GERMAN JEWS, TEREZIN WAS JUST A SHORT TRANSIT. HEYDRICH WAS KILLED BY CZECH
PARATROORERS IN MAY 1942 AND HEINRICH HIMMLER STARTED SHOWING INTERES IN TEREZIN. EVERY
TRASPORT FROM TEREZIN TO THE EAST HAD TO BE SPECIALLY SIGNED BY HIMMLER.
IN HIS TRIAL, IN JERUSALEM, ADOLF EICHMAN DESCRIBED HIMMLER'S RELATION TO TEREZIN 'VERY CLOSE TO
HIS HEART'. THE DECEPTION WENT ON, TILL THE END OF THE WAR, APRIL 21 ST. 1945!
THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE WORLD JEWISH CONGRESS, NORBERT MASUR, VISITED THE HEAD OF THR SS IN
HIS HEADQUARTERS IN NORTH GERMANY. HIMMLER LIED TO HIM BY SAYING THAT HIS WISH WAS THAT ALL
CAMPS WOULD BE LIKE TEREZIN. 'THIS CAMP WAS ESTABLISHED BY ME AND MY FRIEND HEYDRICH' HE SAID.
ON FEBRUARY 1ST. 1943, KALTENBRUNER WAS NOMINATED AS THE CHIEF OF THE SECURITY POLICE OF THE
THIRD REICH, AS A SUCCESSOR OF HEYDRICH. ON THAT DAY HE WROTE A LONG MEMO TO HIMMLER
DETAILING THE SITUATION IN TEREZIN. HE REQUESTED TO ALLOW THE EVACUATION OF 5,000 JEWS TO
AUSCHWITZ. THE ANSWER WAS SENT ON FEBRUARY 16TH.:
THE REICHSFüHRER SS DOES NOT WISH TO TRANSPORT JEWS FROM TEREZIN BECAUSE THIS MAY EFFECT THE
POLICY, THAT JEWS IN ELDERLY'S GHETTO THERESIENSTADT MAY LIVE AND DIE PEACEFULLY'. DURING THE
NEXT SEVEN MONTHS NO TRANSPORTS LEFT TEREZIN FOR THE EAST. MEANWHILE, EXTERMINATION IN THE
EAST WENT ON WITHOUT INTERFERENCE. TEREZIN AND THE FAMILIES CAMP IN BIRKENAU – LATER –
FULLFILLED THE ROLL OF COMOUFLAGE, DECEPTION, FRAUD AND DISINFORMATION.
THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS WAS ONE OF THE FEW ORGANISATIONS WHICH HAD ACCESS TO GERMAN
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, INCLUDING THEIR ALLIES. THEY ACHIEVED IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND HAD
SOME INFLUENCE ON GERMANY. THIS BECAME STRONGER IN FEBRUARY 1943, AFTER FAILURES IN
STALINGRAD AND NORTH AFRICA. MANY GERMAN PRISONERS WERE CAPTIVATED BY THE ALLIES.
THE SECRETARY OF THE JEWISH DEPARTMENT IN THE GERMAN FOREIGN OFFICE WROTE THAT THE RED CROSS
MUST NOT SEARCH FOR JEWS OR TRANSFER INFORMATION ABOUT THEM.
THE GERMAN LEADERSHIP CAME UP WITH AN IDEA TO PREPARE TEREZIN FOR VISITS OF THE RED CROSS. THEY
UNDERSTOOD THAT THE STORY OF ELDERLY'S GHETTO WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO COVER ALL THE KILLINGS
IN EASTERN EUROPE.
IN JUNE 1943, THE SS FIRST SUGGESTED TO THE RED CROSS A VISIT TO TEREZIN. TO SEE HOW THEY 'TREAT' THE
JEWS IN 'HUMAN' WAYS. THE VISIT TOOK PLACE ON 28.6.1943 AND THE REPORT WAS HORRIBLE. EICHMAN
WAS THE TOUR-GUIDE. BOMBING THE GERMAN CITIES BETWEEN JULY 25 TH. AND AUGUST 3RD. AFFECTED THE
GHETTO IN TEREZIN. 40,000 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN HAMBURG AND A SIMILAR NUMBER WERE INJURED. FEW
GERMAN WOMEN, WHO WERE CHRISTIAN BUT HAD CHILDREN OF JEWISH FATHERS WHO WERE IN TEREZIN,
ESCAPED TO TEREZIN, HOPING TO JOIN THE FATHERS. THE GATES WERE LOCKED AND THEY BELIEVED THAT THE
ALLIES WOULD NOT BOMB THIS GHETTO. IN BERLIN, [WHICH ALREADY SUFFERED SOME BOMBING], THERE
WAS FEAR THAT MASSIVE BOMBING WAS ABOUT TO COME, LIKE IN HAMBURG. FOR THIS REASON, THE NAZIS
STARTED MOVING THEIR CENTRAL ARCHIVES, OF THE SECURITY OF THE REICH, TO TEREZIN. THEY ORDERED TO
CLEAR IMMEDIATELY 3 BARRACKS IN 36 HOURS AND TO SQUEEZE INSIDE THE GHETTO 6,422 JEWS. THAT WAS
WHY THE GHETTO'S SPACE WAS DIMINISHED.
KALTENBRUNER AND SS OFFICIALS, WHO ASKED, BETWEEN DECEMBER 1942 AND FEBRUARY 1943, FOR
SPECIAL PERMISSION TO RENEW THE TRANSPORTS FROM TEREZIN, REWNEWED THEIR REQUEST. THEY
SHOWED THE DANGER OF PLAGUE AWAITING IN THE GHETTO DUE TO THE DENSITY, AND ADDED THAT IN
SUCH SITUATION THERE IS NO PLACE FOR NEW TOURS OF VISITORS. NOW HIMMLER AGREED TO EVACUATE
5,000 JEWS, ADDING AN ORDER FOR SPECIAL RECEPTION OF THIS GROUP IN BIRKENAU, ANOUNCING IN
TEREZIN THAT THIS WAS A SPECIAL TRANSPORT FOR WORK.
INDEED, WHEN THIS TRANSPORT ARRIVED IN BIRKENAU, 0N 8.9.1943, WITH 5,007 PEOPLE, EICHMAN WAS
THERE TO SEE THAT HIMMLER'S ORDER IS FULLFILLED. MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE PUT TOGETHER IN
THE SAME CAMP. EICHMAN PROVIDED POSTCARDS WHICH WERE GIVEN TO ALL THE NEW RESIDENTS TO
9

10. WRITE HOME, WHERE EVER THAT MIGHT BE, IN ALL GERMAN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES. ESPECIALLY TO
TEREZIN. THE ADDRESS WAS WORKING CAMP, BIRKENAU… PEOPLE WERE PROMISED THAT THEY WOULD BE
ALLOWED TO RECEIVE PARCELS IN THE MAIL, A PROMISE WHICH WAS KEPT TO THE LETTER.
ESTABLISHING FAMILIES CAMP AND MAIL SERVICES SERVED 3 GAULS:
- THE RECIEVERS OF THE MAIL BELIEVED THAT THE SENDERS WERE IN A WORKING CAMP IN GERMANY,
NOT IN POLAND OR AUSCHWITZ.
-EVERYONE BELIEVED THE GERMAN AND CZECH JEWS WERE SENT FOR WORK, NOTHING ELSE.
-THEY SUCCEEDED TO DECIEVE THE JEWS IN EUROPE, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN TEREZIN, IN 1943.
IN DECEMBER 1943, 5,003 NEW RESIDENTS WERE SENT TO CAMP BIIb IN BIRKENAU FROM TEREZIN. ON
7.3.1944, ALMOST ALL THE PEOPLE FROM THE TRANSPORT OF SEPTEMBER WERE MOVED TO CAMP BIIa NEAR
BY. THE DEPUTY COMMANDER CHOSE 40 MEN FROM CAMP BIId, WHO WERE KNOWN TO BE CRUEL, AND
MARCHED THEM TO CAMP BIIa. BEFORE 21.00H THE PRISONERS WERE FORCED INTO TRUCKS AND TO THE
GAS CHAMBERS. IN MAY 1944 7,500 NEW PRISONERS WERE BROUGHT TO CAMP BIIb IN BIRKENAU.
ALTOGETHER, 17,500 JEWS WERE SENT FROM TEREZIN TO BIRKENAU. AFTER THE VISIT OF THE RED CROSS, THE
NAZIS DID NOT NEED TO KEEP THE FAMILIES' CAMP IN AUSCHWITZ. 3,500 PRISONERS SURVIVED THE
LIQUIDATION OF THE CAMP ON 13.7.1944. TILL THE END OF THE WAR, ABOUT 60% OF THEM DIED IN OTHER
CAMPS OR 'DEATH PARADES'. ONLY 1,400 SURVIVED TO SEE THE LIBERATION, IN MAY 1945.
HELP NEEDED
RECENTLY, A CZECH TV TEAM VISITED ISRAEL. FOR FURTHER DOCUMENTATION THEY NEED
ARCHITECTS, ARTISTS, PHILOSOPERS, MD'S ETC.
WHO LIVED IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA DURING WWII AND LIVE IN ISRAEL TODAY
PLEASE SEND DETAILS TO: PETER ERBEN P.O.BOX 5018 ASHKELON
AS YOU UNDERSTAND, THE HOLOCAUST IS IMPORTANT TO ME. MY
GRANDPARENTS – ELSE AND PAUL KUZMINSKI ‫הי"ד‬ FROM
BERLIN – WERE MURDERED IN AUSCHWITZ. [photo on the right].
I RECIEVED MANY LETTERS TO MY E-MAIL BOX, TELLING ME THAT THE
HOLOCAUST STUDIES WERE TAKEN OUT FROM THE EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMS IN ENGLAND. I COULD NOT ACCEPT IT SIMPLY OR BELIEVE.
SO I WROTE TO ENGLAND. THE ANSWER IS RIGHT HERE, ON THE NEXT
PAGE. USE IT IF NECESSARY:
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11. 11

12. R
REMEMBER!
12