Today was definitely filled with a lot of emotion and has been quite different from the other days we’ve had recently. We spent the majority of our day at Terezín, a former concentration camp and Jewish ghetto during World War II. While it wasn’t an extermination camp itself, Terezín served as a transit camp, where Jews and other prisoners were held before being deported to death camps like Auschwitz.
Our visit began with a tour of the Small Fortress and memorial site, where many prisoners were imprisoned under brutal conditions. We walked through the cramped cells and learned about the daily suffering like forced labor, starvation, illness, and cruelty from the guards. The living conditions were horrifying. They were overcrowded, freezing, and unsanitary. In one cell, our guide asked how many people we thought were held there. In my head, I guessed 50, maybe 75. When she told us the answer was 700, I was stunned. It’s impossible to imagine how people endured that. We also saw solitary confinement rooms, an execution yard, and areas where prisoners died in horrifying conditions. Hearing these stories first hand was heartbreaking.
As painful and emotional as it was, I believe everyone should experience a place like Terezín. It offers a slight insight into the atrocities that millions suffered, especially Jews and other persecuted groups. I will carry this experience with me forever.
For reference, this is a solitary confinement cell.
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