November 2024 Newsletter

In History - Theresienstadt: "Spa Town for the Jews"

On Nov. 19, 1941, leaders of the Jewish religious community in Prague were commanded to send 1,000 Jewish workers to the Theresienstadt ghetto-camp to convert it from a military base to a “town” for Jews. Nazi propaganda described Theresienstadt as a “spa town” and retirement community. In reality, it was a temporary location for Jews who would eventually be deported to their deaths.

One of these survivors is Ilse Eichner Reiner, born in Vsetin, Czechoslovakia in 1930. In 1939 when the Nazis marched into her town, her father was taken into prison. He was released six months later, only to be deported and murdered in the Majdanek death camp. After Ilse’s mother was imprisoned on two different occasions and eventually deported to Ravensbruck,, Ilse was placed in a Jewish orphanage, 170 miles from home. Just two months short of her 12th birthday, Ilse and the other children in the orphanage were deported to the Terezin concentration camp, a place called the “Jewish Paradise” by the Nazis. There she slept in the same room with 32 girls on three- tiered bunks with straw mattresses.

Read Ilse's Story of Survival

Upcoming Programs

December 8, 2024 - 3 - 5 pm

"From Swastika to Jim Crow" - Film and Program View "Americans and the Holocaust" exhibition

Athens-Clarke County Library

Click here for more information.

Traveling Library Exhibit

"WWII Veteran William A. Scott III" This 14-panel exhibition explores the life and impact of William Alexander Scott III, an African American WWII liberator from Georgia.

Nola Brantley Memorial Library, Warner Robins, GA - Nov, 18 - Dec. 18

W.H. Stanton Memorial Library, Social Circle, GA - Dec. 26 - Jan. 27

Book a Speaker

Holocaust education and testimonies are as important today as ever. The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust offers a variety of in-person and virtual programs. Schools, businesses and community groups of 25 or more can book a Holocaust speaker or educator. All programs are free of charge. Complete an online request form or email Judy Schancupp for more information.

Request a Program

GCH Teacher Workshops

The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust assists middle and high school teachers with curriculum and pedagogy around teaching the Holocaust through Educator Workshops. Future workshops will take place at Augusta University, Univ. of North Georgia, GA Southern Univ., and Valdosta State University. Contact Sally Levine for more information.

Learn More About GCH - Visit Our Website

Our Mission

The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust strives to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and promote public understanding of the history. It ensures that learning how and why the Holocaust happened is an important part of the education of Georgia citizens. It encourages reflection upon the moral questions raised by this unprecedented event and the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy.

In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities. Read Full Statement.