Theresienstadt was established on November 24, 1941.  At one point in 1882, Terezin had a prison for dangerous criminals. 

          The Jews were brought in on cattle cars with little or no food, water, and sanitation.  The cattle car would arrive in Bohusovice.  From there the Jews would walk two kilometers while carrying there luggage to Theresienstadt.

          Prisoners were kept in small chambers or underground tunnels where there was no light or fresh air.

          In 1942, 60,000 people were living in a 7,000 limit town.  60,000 people was not the highest population point yet.  Each person had two square yards to contain each person's usage or need for lavatory, belongings, kitchen, and storage.

          Theresienstadt was unusual in many ways.  For instance, it was the only concentration camp inspected by the Red Cross.  Theresienstadt was known as the "model ghetto."  People had to work all the time, scrubbing streets and buildings by hand, planting colorful, beautiful flowers, and painting the buildings various pastel colors.  Fresh linens and uniforms were provided to the hospital to replace the dirty and bloody rags.  All sick and old patients were sent East to be gassed.  Hundreds of raggedy and emaciated children went East, too, along with insane people or those pretending.  Fresh new children were brought in for the inspection.  They too were sent East to be killed after the Red Cross  gave Theresienstadt a clean bill of health.  "Paridiseghetto" was not what it seemed.

          Operas were performed, including Verde's Requein.  A spectacular performance in which Eichmann and other high ranking S.S. officers watched.  After the performance; the performers were sent East and killed.  A very young and talented conductor from Prague who directed the production of Semetane's "The Bartered Bride" went with the performers and was killed, too.

          Nazis fooled wealthy Austrian and German Jews into believing Theresienstadt was a wonderful resort, with a spectacular spa and culture activities, theaters, coffee houses, and tricked the elders into paying them money to get in.  Nazis actually made brochures showing Theresienstadt as a health resort, spa, located on a gorgeous river, with acres of fruit trees, and rolling hills with wonderful summers.  Many requested an apartment with a view. 

          Theresienstadt was a convenient collection location for transports to "The East" (Auschiwitz-Birkenau).  The deportation was a good excuse to send the old who couldn't work.  1,000 to 5,000 Jews were transported a day.  Nazis made the Jews pick who went East.  These Jews were known as the Council of Elders.  They had to pick family, friends, and many others.

          Soon there were not enough room for the corpses of the dead starved Jews.  Nazis then built a crematorium.  It could dispose 190 corpses a day.  The ashes were put in boxes and searched through for any metal or gold from teeth.  Then the boxes were stored.  

          When Russians were closing in on Prague, Adolf Eichmann received orders from Heinrich Himmler to set up gas chambers and kill all the remaining people in Theresienstadt.  The gas was delivered and a building was set up as the chamber to kill.  The Emmandant made preperations to go through with the plan.

          They had to get rid of the ashes, so they dumped 8,000 into a pit and 17,000 into the Ohre river.

          The Commandant Karl Rahm, an original tool maker in civil life, worried that gassing thousands of Jews would make him able to be tried as a war criminal.  He didn't want to risk being hung.  He decided to leave before the Russians came.

          Rabbi Leo Baeck watched in amazement as Karl Rahm left the camp.  Not one prisoner sought revenge.  "Look at it," he remarked with pride, "this can only happen with Jews.  Of all people here they didn't even lift a stone to throw at Rahm.  They could have easily strangled him if they wanted."

          Later Rahm was captured by the Allies.  He was returned to Prague after the war, where he was tried and sentenced to death by Czech courts.  Rahm did in fact hang, along with others who committed crimes in Theresienstadt.

          Theresienstadt was handed over to the Red Cross on May 3, 1945.  It was liberated May 8, 1945 by Soviet soldiers.

          17,320 were still alive but dead because of hunger.  One soldier wrote: "In their animal wilderness, mad with starvation, they were dangerous.  It is impossible to mete food to them in the usual way; they immediately attack each other, chocking and beating each other for every scrap."  

          More than 140,000 people entered Theresienstadt between November 1941 and April 1945.  Over 90,000 were sent to Auschwitz and other death camps to be killed.  33,000 or more died in Theresienstadt but not one died of gas.  Only 17,320 survived.