THERESIENSTADT

‘Theresienstadt’ is the working title for a documentary - under development - about the period this Czech town served as "camp-ghetto" for the Nazi’s, between November 24, 1941 and May 9, 1945. 

Neither a "ghetto" as such nor strictly a concentration camp, Theresienstadt served as a “settlement,” an assembly camp, and a concentration camp, and thus had recognisable features of both ghettos and concentration camps. In its function as a tool of deception, Theresienstadt was a unique facility.

Theresienstadt served an important propaganda function for the Germans. The publicly stated purpose for the deportation of the Jews from Germany was their "resettlement to the east," where they would be compelled to perform forced labor. Since it seemed implausible that elderly Jews could be used for forced labor, the Nazis used the Theresienstadt ghetto to hide the nature of the deportations. In Nazi propaganda, Theresienstadt was cynically described as a "spa town" where elderly German Jews could "retire" in safety. The deportations to Theresienstadt were, however, part of the Nazi strategy of deception. The ghetto was in reality a collection centre for deportations to ghettos and killing centres in Nazi-occupied eastern Europe. 

This documentary will focus on experiences of survivors deported from The Netherlands.

(ref: www.ushmm.org)