We started off the day with an hour bus ride to Terezin Concentration Camp where Jewish people were held as prisoners and it served as a place where they also awaited to be transported. The different cells and rooms symbolized the harsh conditions that many people of any age faced there during the world wars.
Next, we went into the the Terezin Ghetto Musuem and watched a short film that introduced Natzi propaganda films that screened the realities of these camps which helped set the stage for the paintings and plays that were created even by children that illustrated their daily lives. Outside, I learned about the process of “beautification” which served as propaganda by the Nazis to deceive the Red Cross and to stir people away from what was actually happening.
The next visit was to the Synagogue Prayer Room where a popular Jewish artist created a prayer room to maintain his faith during the time with different symbols in the room which show strong resilience during the time. I also visited the graves of those buried, some with no name and other graves of people who were cremated.
I would say this has been a long and saddening day, but I did learn some new things from Czech history and how it connects to modern society now in terms of how important it is to not let repeat history repeat itself.
Swanson School of Engineering 