The War is Over for Remaining Inmates of Theresienstadt: An Announcement from Leo Baeck and Others

Authors

Object ID

2019.2.29

Object Name

Newsletter

Date

5-6-1945

Files

Content Warning

The Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection consists of images, documents, and artifacts related to the Holocaust. The collection contains materials that depict a number of topics that may be difficult for viewers to engage with, including: antisemitic descriptions, caricatures, and representation of Jewish people; Nazi imagery and ideology; descriptions and images of German ghettos; graphic images of the violence of the Holocaust; and the creation of the State of Israel. For more information, see our policy page.

Description

Tan paper with red, double-lined border, black print, titled "Manner und Frauen von Theresienstadt!"

Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:

Rabbi Baeck, author of The Essence of Judaism, was an important spokesperson for the Jewish community after the Nazi rise to power in his role as president of the Jewish umbrella organization Reichsvertretung. When the latter was summarily disbanded by the Nazis and replaced with the Reichsvereinigung, Rabbi Baeck remained president. On January 27th, 1943, Rabbi Baeck was deported to Theresienstadt. Here he held a prominent place as honorary head of the Judenrat, which afforded him privileges unattainable by other inmates; yet he continued to serve the ghetto community and refused to abandon it, opportunities to emigrate to the U.S. notwithstanding. While Rabbi Baeck survived Theresienstadt, three sisters perished. When it was finally liberated, Rabbi Baeck continued to attend to the sick and dying.

On May 5th, 1945, the SS had withdrawn from Theresienstadt. The Commandant, Karl Rahm, was last seen on the morning of May 6th, after which he fled.

In this newsletter dated May 6th, 1945, published in both German and Czech, Rabbi Baeck, Dr. Alfred Meissner, Dr. Heinrich Klang and Dr. Eduard Meijer - all members of the Council of Elders - announce to the “Men and Women of Theresienstadt” that Theresienstadt is now under the protective custody of the International Red Cross, that the war is not yet over and that the remaining inhabitants of the Ghetto are safe as long as they remain in Theresienstadt. Anyone who leaves the camp can be exposed to all the risks of the war. Theresienstadt has taken over the care of “the martyrs” in the small fortress (Kleine Festung). The survivors are exhorted to maintain calm and orderly and help with the work.

This announcement appears in H.G. Adler’s Theresienstadt 1941-1945. A copy appears as well in the Central European University in Hungary.

Dimensions

11 1/2 x 8 1/4"

Keywords

Leo Baeck, Theresienstadt

Subcollection

Concentration, Post

Recommended Citation

"The War is Over for Remaining Inmates of Theresienstadt: An Announcement from Leo Baeck and Others" (1945). Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection. 2019.2.29.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/bulmash/1432