The Theresienstadt deception

Schiff, born in Prague in 1926, is a survivor of the Theresienstadt ghetto; all of her extended family perished in the Holocaust. Presents a social history of the Theresienstadt ghetto, based partly on her own experiences. This ghetto was established by the Nazis with the aim of deceiving the world in regard to the fate of European Jews. Many important Jewish personalities were interned there. In 1944, an International Red Cross Commission visited Theresienstadt. In preparation for the visit, the Nazis deported all the sick or extremely emaciated inmates to Auschwitz and elsewhere, held rehearsals with children on how to answer the questions of the Commission members, arranged concerts to be held, etc. Describes the composition of the ghetto population, its internal administration, and its institutions (including the library and the bank). There was only one attempt to escape from Theresienstadt during its existence, and no attempts of resistance. However, there was a rich cultural life in the ghetto, care for the children, and even love and sex. Dwells on the health care system in Theresienstadt, especially on the Vrchlabí hospital (where Schiff herself worked). Describes, also, the ghetto's liberation in May 1945.