The Virtual Historian

I memorized the whole portion and Rabbi Ferda was very pleased. I got a fountain pen and a small, beautiful pocket watch from my parents, which I treasured until I had to give them up at Auschwitz.The year and a half I spent in Room 9 was very exciting and, thanks to our leader, Arno, even inspiring. We learned self-reliance. Achievement badges were given for certain tasks. For example, I found it impossible to go without talking for one full day, but I tried anyway. However, the day I tried to remain silent was a day that Iwent to visit my parents. I was excited about this task and as soon as I saw them I rushed to them and blurted out that I was not to talk that day. Well, that was the end of that experiment! In Room 9, we formed intense friendships; we discussed everything, and even held ping-pong championships. I was one of the best and represented Room 9 in competition with other rooms. So life went on. We were hungry, and at times sick, but we did not complain. We saw the suffering of the helpless old people around us, who were often left lying on the ground in dirt, waiting fordeath. Anybody caught attempting to run away from Terezin was executed by hanging in the square. German soldiers were everywhere and they demanded absolute discipline.We sang songs with lyrics like, “And to resist all the Hamans, we shall break down the gates that keep us in. Soon theday is coming when life will begin again. We shall pack up to go home again, and laugh at the ruins of the ghetto.” We staged our battles between the Philistines and the Israelites, with a chorus reciting the story. We re-enacted the David and Goliath fight. We sang Czech patriotic songs and hoped for a happy future.But it was not to come.