Avenues of Intellectual Resistance in the Ghetto Theresienstadt: Escape Through the Central Library, Books, and Reading

Abstract

The Ghetto Theresienstadt served as a façade behind which the Nazis attempted to hide the atrocities they were committing in other ghettos and concentration camps throughout Europe. As a result of Theresienstadt's unusual nature, the Nazis sanctioned certain cultural and intellectual activities in the camp. Consequently, there remains a considerable record of the interior lives and personal perspectives of Theresienstadt inmates. Through a close examination of Theresienstadt memoirs, diaries and histories, this paper explores the concept of intellectual resistance as a result of participation in some of the camp's intellectual activities – namely the library, books and reading. These activities provided prisoners with a means of keeping their minds and imaginations active and alive, allowing them to escape temporarily from the horror surrounding them, as well as providing a means of maintaining hope and strength that increased their chances of survival. As of yet, no single work in English focuses on this topic. This paper strives to fill that void and to encourage librarians to consider the power of literacy and the significance of their responsibilities as providers of knowledge, story and information, particularly in times of terror or war.