“The majority Czech society, relatively newly constituted, lost part of its identity at the time,“ recalls in the program How it sees … the secretary of the Federation of Jewish Communities Tomáš Kraus.

The company was silent

“In a very short time, a significant part of society disappeared. She was loaded on a train, taken away, and that was it. And I think few people realize that.“At the place where the transports came from, now stands the Monument of Silence.

“The majority society was really silent at the time. Conditions during the Nazi occupation were, of course, very dramatic, especially after the assassination of Heydrich. It was clear to everyone that the Nazis would stop at nothing.“

Warning to future generations

But these dramatic moments need to be remembered all the more. “Our Holocaust survivors came back with their memento: Never again. But that should not be the case. It should be a warning.“Even today, it is easy to manipulate the masses.

“The spread of utterly insane conspiracy theories today concerns the coronavirus epidemic. At the time, it was mass hysteria that led to mass murders. Therefore, it is necessary to wonder how timeless this dangerous phenomenon is,“ raises the warning finger of the guest Deuce.

On the verge of survival

From January 9, 1942, almost 90,000 people were taken from Terezín to extermination camps. The end of the war was only three thousand. “The returns were cruel. We must have thought it was people. When they got back, it was very difficult for them to start again where their lives were interrupted.“

Many of the survivors suffered from mental health problems. And after the communist coup, another cruel regime was expected. “It was a period that once again exposed people to incredible hardship. And it is admirable that even this Jewish community has survived. two totalitarian regimes and developments in a free society is that today we are on the verge of demographic survival,“ concludes Tomáš Kraus.

Other topics of conversation: responses to the film Report; theatrical premiere of My First Jewish Christmas; events Drumming for Drums; project Musica non grata.