Deutsche Juden in Theresienstadt

After a brief background information how Theresienstadt was chosen as a transit ghetto for German and Austrian Jews, Karny sketches the living condition of the German Jews in the ghetto. German and Austrian Jews were in a foreign country, while the Czech Jews were in their home country. More importantly, German and Austrian Jews were significantly older and most of them were not able to work. The decision of the Council of the Elders provide higher food rations to working people was taken May 1942, when only Czech Jews were in Terezín. Only later, when the German and Austrian Jews arrived, the problem became a national one. A huge difference in cultural and political experience also separated the Austrian and German Jews from the Czech Jews. The overwhelming majority of German Jews who were not deported from Theresienstadt to extermination camps in the East died in the ghetto after a short time.

 The full texts of articles from Theresienstädter Studien und Dokumente 1994 on CEEOL web-site.