On the 14th day of our trip, we traveled to Terezin concentration camp. Terezin was actually a town before it was converted into a concentration camp in World War II. Some people still live there today, although I find it hard to stomach how they can do so. When one steps out of their vehicle into the streets, an unsettling feeling strikes the mind and stomach.
Terezin was not a death camp like Auschwitz, but many people did meet their demise within its confines. The town portion of the complex was used as a ghetto to hold normal prisoners. Conditions were rough here, with disease running rampant, little food, and overcrowded quarters. There were strict rules, such as following a curfew and bowing for the Nazis. If you disobeyed, you were likely sent to the prison area of the camp. This was the most brutal part of the camp, where prisoners were oftentimes murdered and forced to murder each other. If prisoners broke the rules here or did anything that slightly upset the Nazis, they were sent to confinement rooms. In these rooms there was an open window and no heat. Prisoners were also stripped of any clothing.
To say that Terezin was a hell is too say the least. After hearing about all the atrocities committed here, especially in the prison area of the camp, I was prompted to think about why anyone would do such things to another human being. I was thinking, there is no ideology or amount money that could ever convince me to beat an innocent person to death. How were the Nazi’s able to do so with such impunity? I believe that the sad reality is that they did not believe that these people were innocent. They viewed them as less than human. This shows us how influential a strong leader can really be. Hitler convinced people to ignore the humanity between them and others so that killing was easy. It is scary to think of the possibility that we as humans are all susceptible to such a vial influence.
From the prison complex, the sign reads “work will set you free”
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