Did You Know About the Theresienstadt exhibit?

Did you know about the Theresienstadt exhibit?

Theresienstadt, also known as Terezin, was a fortress city was turned into a concentration camp during WWII. It was hailed as "Hitler's gift to the Jews" and propaganda was spread (falsely) showing how the Jews were treated well by the Hitler.

We toured an exhibit on Theresienstadt yesterday. We saw drawings and writings from the children confined there. I was struck by the dedication and determination of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis (also imprisoned here) who taught the children art every day. To keep their minds off the death surrounding them, these kids looked forward to their daily art classes. They also made themselves a newspaper and magazine. We also got to see a "Ghetto" game board, depicting Terezin, fashioned after the popular game Monopoly. These kids tried to keep death and atrocity at bay using their minds and creativity.

This exhibit also featured some interactive elements that really caught my daughter's attention. Before going, we had spent the week studying the lesson plans provided by the museum. My daughter really did a nice job creating butterflies to go along with each poem we had read.




When we walked into the exhibit, we noticed all the butterflies decorating one area of the exhibit (and you could also find butterflies throughout the exhibit.) She enjoyed making a poem of her own. They had magnetic boards with words so you could work on it til you got it just right. Then there were notebooks that you could record your poem in.


They had magnetic boards with words so you could work on it til you got it just right. Then there were notebooks that you could record your poem in.



















There were some cut out hand shapes on which you could draw a place that is special to you, or just leave a note showing how you feel about the children in the camp. My daughter did a couple of those. The museum is no longer accepting hand crafted butterflies to add to this exhibit, but they will continue to accpet photos to display in their digital exhibit.