Commemorations around the world have marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. An Auckland couple who survived the Holocaust are contributing to a global effort aimed at ensuring “never again” means just that.
The Theresienstadt concentration camp, near Prague, was presented to the world as an idyllic thermal spa, Hitler’s “gift to the Jews”.
Hitler’s propaganda machine ensured that the camp, established in an old stone-fortress town, received favourable coverage in German newspapers.
A movie, produced in 1940, showed happy and well-fed settlers. When the Red Cross visited in 1944, a few select parts of the camp had been given a fresh coat of paint, and thousands of Jews had been sent to Auschwitz so it appeared less crowded.
The deceit worked and the Red Cross provided a favourable report. Thousands perished at the camp from disease and malnutrition, but Bob Narev, prisoner XII/1 618, lived to tell his and his mother’s story of survival. Narev still has the Star of David that he was forced, under threat of death, to wear at all times.
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