The Czech town of Terezin was evacuated in 1940 to make room for a unique ghetto and concentration camp known by the Germanized name of “Theresienstadt,” literally “City of Terezin.” Unlike other ghettos, Theresienstadt had a unique purpose. The Nazis needed somewhere to send the people who would be “missed”: disabled German war veterans, war heroes, scientists, artists, and others who were internationally known were brought to Theresienstadt so the Nazis could keep track of them and make their well-being known should the world start questioning what happened to them. Over 70,000 elderly Jews stayed in the ghetto, usually briefly, before being sent to their deaths.
The Nazis used the Theresienstadt “show” ghetto for propaganda purposes, inviting a Red Cross inspection in 1944, and the objects here serve to illustrate the “normalcy” the Nazi wished to convey. Included are the ID card of Charlotte Weinstein, a bank book for 1944 (denominated in Theresienstadt crowns), a drink coupon, and a musical concert pass. This group was accompanied by two wartime sketches by Weinstein.
The Theresienstadt currency was designed by Jewish inmate Petr Kien. Note the Jewish symbolism on the notes, which depict Moses holding the Ten Commandments. Reinhard Heydrich of the German SS ordered an early design change, specifying that the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” not appear on the tablet. Only the Hebrew word for “no” is visible at the top left, where it would have been placed. Even so, the Ten Commandments motif must have been included by Kien to remind the inmates of the Law, and of how many ways it was regularly being broken by the Nazis.