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This article presents the index section of the book, Hitler's Gift: The Story of Theresienstadt.

This section presents photographs taken from or related to the Jewish ghetto in Theresienstadt, Czech Republic.

This section comments on two publications concerning the Jewish Ghetto in Theresienstadt, Czech Republic. The first one is an article by Karel Margry, Theresienstadt (1944-1945): The Nazi Propaganda Film Depicting the Concentration Camp as Paradise, published in the November 2, 1992 issue of Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. The other one is a book titled Une Mission Impossible? Le CICR, les deportations et les camps de concentration Nazis, by Jean-Claude Favez, which focused on the activities of the International Red Cross in World War II.

This section comments on several books on the history of Jewish ghetto in Theresienstadt, Czech Republic. This bulky book, Theresienstadt, 1941-1943, by H. G. Adler, overflows with facts, figures, and quotations, along with descriptions of events, personalities, moods, and feelings. It is actually longer than its size indicates, for Adler not only uses a system of abbreviations for often-repeated words, but also devotes almost 200 pages of his near 900-page text to notes set in small print, and these notes do not merely annotate his text but provide much additional material. The book Elder of the Jews: Jakob Edelstein of Theresienstadt, offers some general information about the camp and also about what was happening in the non-Nazi world regarding it.

This article discusses the legacy of the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic. Then first legacy concerns with the amazing ability of cultural activity in Theresienstadt to survive and even thrive under such seemingly adverse conditions. Its health service found that many, then highly regarded, medicines were unnecessary and that simpler, more natural measures were often more effective. Theresienstadt's teachers demonstrated the value of inspiration, improvisation, and informality in teaching the young.

This chapter deals with the liberation of the residents of the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic. Jubilant Theresienstadters, some waving flags or holding hastily drawn posters, turned out en masse to greet the Russian and Soviet forces. The joyful scene did not transpire without travails. Some inmates had become so intoxicated with elation that they got in the way of the procession and suffered accidents. Despite the euphoria of liberation, life was still far from idyllic in Theresienstadt.

This chapter describes events prior to the liberation of the residents of the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic. The Schutzstaffel decided to refurbish a barracks for their own use. The completion of this construction project brought the challenge of a much greater one. The Jews were ordered to build a special internment complex on the town's embankments. The Schutzstaffel assigned the Jews two new construction projects. They were to transform a portion of this within-ground network into a place suitable for storing vegetables

This chapter focuses on the population decline in the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic. Before the first fall transport, Theresienstadt had contained 29,481 people. After the last transport, it contained 11,077 people. In exactly one month the ghetto had lost nearly two-thirds of its population. The gender gap had also widened. As might be expected, women outnumbered men by more than 2 to 1 among the elderly. The camp's ethnic mix had also shifted. Since Germans had made up a high proportion of the exempt elderly, they now held a 4,000 to 3,500 edge over the Czechs.

This chapter focuses on the concentration camps in Theresienstadt, Czech Republic and Auschwitz, Poland in the summer of 1944. By the summer of 1944 some Nazis wanted to slow down or even stop the executions. They hoped to use the Jews as bargaining chips with the Allies; or they wanted to utilize more Jewish labor for their country's hard-pressed war industries. The last Theresienstadt transport was also the next to the last transport of Jews to arrive in Auschwitz. Two days later a transport of Slovakian Jews came and were promptly gassed. Then, on November 2, operations were ceased. Jews, including Theresienstadt Jews, would still die, but the gas chambers of Auschwitz would claim no more victims.

This chapter focuses on the Stadtverschoenerung or the city beautification project launched by the Nazis in 1943 for Theresienstadt, Czech Republic. The beautification project brought many changes. Some were largely superficial and symbolic. Thus the Order of the Day became the Daily Bulletin of the Jewish Self-administration and the Ghetto Court became the Community Court. The sign saying Transport over the transport office was taken down and the transport numbers of the Theresienstadt inmates became their identification numbers instead. The saluting requirement was also abolished. Other changes were more substantive. Food parcels from abroad as well as from the Reich were expedited and their contents were less carefully searched.

This chapter discusses some Schutzstaffel developments in the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic beginning July 1948. The Schutzstaffel instructed the Jewish administration to cease using the terms Camp Commandant or Camp Inspector, but simply to refer to the officer's military grade. Another Schutzstaffel move that caught the camp off guard was the dissolution of the Ghetto Watch in August. The constabulary force was soon reconstituted, but on a much different basis. The new Ghetto Watch was much smaller, having only 150 members compared to 420 on the former one.

This chapter focuses on the medical and cultural achievements in the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic in early 1940s. The Nazis helped Theresienstadt's medical department build a large medical library and even ordered the doctors to hold seminars for each other, allowing Czech doctors to lecture in Czech. The medical department set up a special division on infectious diseases. The explosion of cultural activity began the month after the first Aufbaukommando arrived when the young construction workers obtained Nazi permission to hold a Comradeship Evening. While poetry became Theresienstadt's most common medium of artistic expression, lecturing became its most frequent cultural event.

This article focuses on the pro-child policies and practices at the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic in early1940s. The children of Theresienstadt, of whom there were approximately 3,200 under 15 years of age by mid-1943, were considered and treated as its most precious treasure. A Theresienstadt child regularly received more food and double as much living space as a normal adult. In 1943 the administration created a special court for juveniles so that their cases would not have to be reported to the Schutzstaffel. Then there were the teachers, matrons, and others who worked tirelessly to promote the children's well being.

This article focuses on the Schutzstaffel garrison and the inmates of the concentration camp in Theresienstadt, Czech Republic in early 1940s. Brutality and terrorism characterized the inmates' contacts with other members of the camp's Schutzstaffel garrison. The younger Schutzstaffel officers were especially cruel, and the elderly, who frequently wandered about in a confused state, were often their victims. The camp had also developed a complex social hierarchy which in some instances paralleled but in other cases diverged from its political power structure.

This chapter focuses on the efforts of the Jews to escape from the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic in early 1940s. Most of the 141,000 Jews who would come to Theresienstadt would not remain there. The area's geography discouraged escape. Fleeing in one direction brought the fugitive almost immediately into the Reich. Fleeing in the other direction brought him into flat and open Czech farmland with no real woods or mountains in which to hide. Some arrested escapees were sent to the Little Fortress, the former Czech prison which was later used by the Gestapo.

This chapter focuses on the living conditions in the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic in early 1940s. One way or another, entering Theresienstadt for the first time was a jolt to most of its new residents. The town's plumbing facilities were primitive to begin with, for flush toilets and running water had only been installed a few years earlier. Many other factors contributed to making Theresienstadt's shelter situation a source of torment. A constant shortage of coal caused most residents to shiver all winter while the lack of ventilation caused those in the attics to nearly suffocate during the summer. The shortage of kitchen facilities added to the problem by forcing people to stand in line for long periods, sometimes in rain or snow, to get their meager portions. The digestive systems of the elderly adapted less well to the Theresienstadt regime and severe enteritis or similar ailments affected almost all of them. In the long waits for the scarce lavatories they commonly, to their great discomfort and shame, defiled themselves.

This chapter presents a historical background of the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic during the deportations of Jews in the city in early 1940s. The deportations accelerated during the first half of 1942, as over 50,000. The first half of 1943 brought further deportees from Czechoslovakia, the Reich, and Luxembourg, and in April the first group of 297 arrived from Holland. The new arrivals not only swelled Theresienstadt's population but changed its composition in many ways. A Jewish police force, the Ghetto Watch, came into existence early in the ghetto's creation. Separate from the Ghetto Watch was a detective bureau headed by the former executive director of the League of German Jewish Front Fighters. The real driving force in Theresienstadt were the Zionists, especially the Czechs.

This chapter gives a historical account of the deportations of the Jews to the Theresienstadt, Czech Republic in early 1940s. In accordance with Nazi practice, the job of selecting the deportees was given to the Jews. As the deportations went forward during late October and early November, the Jewish leaders realized that Theresienstadt provided their only hope. On November 10 the Nazis ordered the Gemeinde to have a construction crew ready to leave for Theresienstadt in 15 days to prepare its transformation into a Jewish ghetto. Already infected with the desperate optimism that would grip so many of Theresienstadt's future residents, they believed America's involvement signaled a speedy end to the war.

This section presents a historical background of Theresienstadt, Czech Republic. The reports appeared in the German press in early summer of 1942. Suddenly, and magnanimously, the Fuehrer was presenting an entire city to the Jews. The news accounts identified the city as Theresienstadt and gave its location as northern Czechoslovakia some 39 miles from Prague. Theresienstadt's regular residents were being evacuated but would leave behind their furniture for the city's new, and seemingly fortunate, inhabitants. It soon became evident that only certain Jews would benefit from the Fuehrer's generous gift. Foremost among them were the German and Austrian elderly. Word of Theresienstadt's role as Hitler's haven for older Jews soon spread throughout German-occupied Europe. Those wishing to assist any Jewish friend or other Jewish connection destined for deportation sought to have them sent to Theresienstadt.

This section notes several issues and events related to Jews as of January 1997. First, the author notes the publication of the book Hitler's Willing Executioners by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen. The book examines the role of rank and file Germans in the Holocaust. Next, the author notes a memo sent by the Commander of the Eastern Territories, General Johannes Blaskowitz, to Berlin protesting the then rather sporadic slaughter of both Jews and Poles. Also, this section presents the views of Jewish writer Benno Weiser Varon on Alfred Polgar's sharp differentiation between Germans and Austrians in regard to Jew hatred.

This chapter notes some differences between the behavior of the Jewish Diaspora and Israelis, as of 1997. The author observes that Israelis are surprisingly much tougher and rougher. According to him, visitors both Jewish and non-Jewish often complain of Israeli roughness and rudeness. He admits that courtesy and civility have scarcely become hallmarks of the Israeli way of life. He cites government and politics as one sector of Israeli society which deserves some special scrutiny in this respect.

This chapter describes how the interpretation of Jewish laws by the ultra-Orthodox, known in Israel as the Charedim, regulates so much Israeli life as of 1997. One area in which this can be seen is in marriage and divorce. In their insistence on imposing their wishes and ways on the rest of the population, the ultra-Orthodox have even resorted to using violence. Still more shocking has been the tendency of some of their leaders to indulge in financial peculation and election fraud. The ultras have made Jerusalem their number one target and their numbers and influence in the Holy City have greatly expanded in recent years.

This chapter describes how the U.S. has also benefited from the economic assistance it provides to Israel as of 1997. The author notes that in return for the aid package it receives from the U.S. government, the U.S. receives a great deal of military aid from Israel. Israel has military aided the U.S. in more direct ways. According to him, Israel's best known or most visible means of partly paying the U.S. is through its own armament efforts. He concludes by noting a study which found that in its support with the Israel, the U.S. has received information and support worth more than all the money it has given Israel.

This chapter addresses the issue over the failure of many Diaspora Jews to make aliyah as of 1997. The author describes how some Jews, like a former newspaper editor named Matti Golan, have been disappointed by the failure of many Jews to make aliyah. Golan demeans the value of the money American Jews contribute every year and dismisses the worth of their lobbying efforts in Israel's behalf. The author notes, however, that while some Israelis such as Golan still like to taunt Diaspora Jews, especially American Jews, for their failure to make aliyah, most no longer make it an issue.

This chapter looks at the different minority groups that exist Israel, as of 1997, and describes their relations with the Jews and the Jewish state. The Diaspora made the Jews a cosmopolitan people. The different minority groups that exist in Israel give the impression of the country being something of a Jewish melting pot. The issue began attracting attention early in Israel's existence with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of S'fardic refugees from Arabic lands following the War of Independence. Also contributing to the Jewish components of the melting pot are the converts.

This chapter argues against the claims of journalist Tom Friedman, as well as Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat and Arab farmers, that Zionists dispossessed and otherwise oppressed all those hordes of Palestinians who supposedly had been flourishing in Palestine for centuries. The author notes that except for 48 years under Babylonian exile, the Jews had occupied Palestine for 1700 years prior to the Roman dispersion. According to him, far from creating hordes of landless peasants, the Jews were actually enabling poor Arab farmers to survive and even thrive.

This chapter focuses on the decision of the Israeli army to invade Lebanon on June 1982. It examines the events that led Israel to undertake such a bold move. According to the author, the invasion was initially popular with all Israelis, worn out and aggrieved by the Palestinian Liberation Organization's constant terrorism. The invasion also proved popular among the Lebanese, including Moslems, who were alarmed by their security in the continuing battles between the many armed factions then operating within Lebanon. The author notes that the Lebanese invasion certainly produced some gains for Israel.

This chapter notes that the double standard imposed by the West on Jews is still alive, as of 1997, and argues that Israel must bear its brunt. According to the author, examples of this use of the double standard against Israel pile up. He cites the example of the fatal shooting of 29 Arabs in a Hebron mosque by an American Jewish immigrant in early 1994. He addresses the claim that in imposing their double standard on Israel, western observers are only judging Israel by the western values which Israel itself claims to share.

This chapter looks at the evolution of the Zionist movement and the benefits it has bestowed on Jews. Today, the Zionist movement stands out as one of history's most striking success stories. It has led to the creation of a strong and reasonably secure state which has furnished a haven for hundreds of thousands from Europe, the Arabic world, and, more recently, such places as the Soviet Union, Ethiopia, Albania, and Yugoslavia. Much less appreciated, however, are the benefits it has bestowed on those Jews who have remained in the Diaspora, including those who constantly criticize Israel and even condemn it.

This chapter observes that one Holocaust work which remains unwritten, as of 1997, is a book about the Christian Jews or Jewish Christians. It is estimated that there are 2,000 to over 40,000 books written about the Jewish Holocaust. Many Holocaust works are accounts by survivors. Others are overview of the entire event, while others seek to eliminate and/or interpret a specific episode or aspect. Yet despite this profusion of printed matter, the story of the Christian Jews remains unexamined and largely unmentioned.

This chapter describes the courage and commitment to the Jews displayed by a man named Robert Stricker during the 1930s and 1940s. When he was an engineering student, Stricker authored a pamphlet expounding and enthusiastically endorsing the ideas of Herzl. Stricker turned much of his attention to promoting Jewish nationalism in Austria. According to the author, his courage and compassion, along with his commitment and his contributions to his people and to the cause of justice generally, should earn him the lasting regard of men and women of good will everywhere.

This chapter describes the role played by the Jewish leaders during the Holocaust. First, this chapter addresses the Jewish leadership's alleged cooperation and complicity with the Nazis. According to the author, the Jewish leaders did go along with Nazi orders and one could say that the deportation process worked a bit more smoothly because they did so. He notes, however, that most of these leaders also worked hard to serve what they regarded as their community's best interests. According to him, most Jewish leaders in the end chose to share their people's fate when they could have done otherwise.

This chapter examines some other situations where research has revealed noticeable and noteworthy distinctions in the way various European countries and their people reacted to the Holocaust. Among the European countries considered in this chapter are Holland, Lithuania, Belgium and Poland. Since World War II, Holland has provided many indications of its friendliness to Jews. Meanwhile, the author notes that when it comes to their respective responses to the Holocaust, the Lithuanians make the Poles look almost like philo-Semites.

This chapter takes a look at how big businesses acted and reacted to Nazism generally, and then examines in greater detail the role and behavior of the one large industrial firm that seemed to have been most intimately involved in the Holocaust, I. G. Farben. Many tend to view Germany's capitalists as ardent supporters or at least willing collaborators in the Nazis' war against the Jews. The role and behavior of German big business vis-a-vis the Third Reich in general and the Jews in particular can hardly be called heroic. Still, it was much more textured and complex than many have assumed.

This chapter examines the historical background of the present attitudes of Jews toward some occupations and their practitioners. Jews tend to favor and admire some occupations and their practitioners while fearing and distrusting others. Among those they tend to view positively are academics and professionals; those they tend to fear and distrust include the Christian clergy, especially the Catholic clergy, and the military. The author notes that a close examination of the Nazi experience, however, might well prompt them to reexamine such preferences and predilections.

This chapter attempts to explain why the Holocaust happened. It details the Nazis' ascendance to power and looks at the reasons why they wanted to exterminate the Jews. It describes how they began to terrorize the Jews once in office and how the outside world had reacted to the wave of terrorism against Jews they launched. Also, this chapter looks at the Nazis' extermination program's chain of command or what the author calls the Holocaust Hierarchy. Meanwhile, this chapter also examines the extent of the participation or involvement of the Germans in the Holocaust.

This chapter looks at the special relationships that had existed between Germans and Jews prior to the World War II and the Holocaust. The author affirms that a special relationship had arisen between Germans and Jews or between German Jews and German gentiles by the end of the 1700s. He notes that while it became somewhat mangled and maimed during the nineteenth century, it had no suffered a mortal blow. In this chapter, the author tries to examine several indications of the special relationships.

This chapter describes the zeal of the Jews in remembering the Holocaust. For most Jews, according to the author, World War II means primarily the Holocaust. He observes that the 1990s have brought an upsurge of interest in Holocaust. He argues that in the zeal of the Jews to remember the Holocaust, they have become too disposed to exaggerate certain of its aspects and make it even more of a tragedy than it was. The author points out that the most recent and most controversial manifestations of their Holocaust mania have been the museums.

This chapter describes how the Diaspora of Jewish populations are declining, as of January 1997, and looks at some efforts to solve the problem. According to the author, the steady and by no means slow decline in Diaspora Jewry is usually attributed to intermarriage. The author presents two observations about this growth of intermarriage. He argues that Christian conversion hardly constitutes the greatest threat to Diaspora Jewry's survival. He concludes that the perpetuation of the Jewish people, along with its civilization and culture, depend on the perpetuation of the Jewish state.

This chapter looks at the influences of the Jewish religion on Christianity. It also looks at some Jewish practices that are gaining increasing acceptance as of 1997. According to the author, the similarity between Judaism and Christianity has always been greater than many Christians and Jews realize. Nevertheless, according to him, distinct differences have traditionally separated the two sects. He observes though that these differences seem to be shrinking. The author also observes that the Jewish practice of circumcision is gaining increasing acceptance and how the Yiddish language is becoming popular.

This chapter looks at the development of U.S. anti-Semitism. The author argues that the U.S. has hardly proven a bastion against discriminatory and degrading treatment. According to him, Jewish access to many U.S. institutions was strictly limited and in some cases denied altogether for many years. The author cites specific issues and incidents which, according to him, provide continued cause for concern among Jews. Next, the author considers the emergence of African American anti-Semitism and describes how Jews are fighting back.

This chapter takes a look at some of the distinct differences between the Irish and the Jews in terms of attitudes, values and behavior. First, it considers how these two groups view violence, police work, capital punishment, mothers, friendship and marriage. The chapter tries to look at the consequences of such differences. According to the author, the reasons why the Irish and the Jews seem such polar opposites can be attributed to religion and geographical location. Also, he notes that both the Irish and the Jews spent many centuries as subjugated peoples.

This chapter describes the relations between Italians and Jews as of 1997, and identifies similar behavioral traits common to both groups. Italian history provides many examples of positive relations between Italians and Jews. One can also identify similar behavioral traits common to Italians and Jews. Both tend to be highly individualistic. Both Italians and Jews manifest strong attachments to family members, especially children. The author notes, however, that while Jewish and Italian behavioral patterns may tend to parallel each other in some respects, they quite decidedly diverge in others.

This chapter analyzes the worshipful attitude of Jews toward the medical profession. For Jews, the most prized profession is medicine. Jews show not just respect but near reverence for the profession. Several possible explanations suggest why Jews have such a worshipful attitude toward the medical profession. For one thing, it has historically proven to be a profession somewhat easier for Jews to enter. Medicine was also a portable profession. Their preoccupation with this occupation may owe still more to their preoccupation with health itself.

This chapter examines the passion of Jews for food, dancing, and joke telling. A near-obsession with food encompasses the entire Jewish spectrum from the ultra-secular to the ultra-Orthodox. This food fixation manifests itself in many ways. On the other hand, the passion for dancing is shared by Jews of all backgrounds and shades of belief. Meanwhile, the most common and commonly known Jewish form of recreation is joke-telling. Jews will tell jokes not only at play but at work, and not only when things are going well but when they are going badly.

This chapter looks at how Jews regard homosexuality as of 1997. The chapter begins by clarifying the views of Torah on homosexuality. The author observes that the issue of homosexuality seems to have created more division and dissension within the Jewish community than previous equal rights issues have hitherto done. He discusses how the issue has presented its most specific and direct challenge to the Jewish community in the form of whether to allow gays to become rabbis. Lastly, the author describes how the AIDS epidemic has remained a largely homosexual phenomenon.

This chapter analyzes and assesses the severe and seemingly sudden outbursts of African American anti-Semitism in the 1990s which caught most Jews by surprise, or shock. According to the author, what made the situation seem especially bizarre was that no other ethnic white group had more actively and ardently supported the Civil Rights Movement than Jews. He notes that the increase in African American anti-Semitism has also paralleled the rise of interest in the Holocaust, a trend that has forced African-Americans to share victim status with Jews.

This chapter considers the issue of lack of aggressiveness among Jewish men. It tries to explain why Jewish men tend to be less aggressive. The author begins by illustrating Jewish men's distaste of violence and fear of danger. Next, he cites other examples showing the lack of aggressiveness among Jewish men as well as their non-macho orientation and demeanor. Finally, the author identifies some situations showing that although a Jewish man may be weak, he may also be a loving one. The author concludes by agreeing that the aggressive Jewish wimp is not just unattractive but often an unhelpful figure.

This chapter looks at the status of women in Jewish life as of 1997. The author notes that in the twentieth century Jewish women have chalked up numerous female firsts. Jewish men have not remained unappreciative of their womenfolks' remarkable record. According to the author, the Torah itself pays them homage. In the second part of this chapter, the author addresses the emergence of the Jewish princess phenomenon. He notes however that even at its height, the princess phenomenon never prevented many Jewish women from forging ahead and opening up new avenues of accomplishment.

This chapter looks at the role played by the family among Jews and examines the attitude of Jews toward family, marriage and other issues related to family relations. In their zest for what economists call family formation, Jews not only accepted, but in the past, encouraged teenage marriage. The Jews were among the first to discourage and finally ban polygamy. At the same time, they took a somewhat surprisingly tolerant approach to intra-family marriage. Many Jewish religious rituals are essentially family observances.