Theresienstadt: A Documentary Film, 1944

In the fall of 1944, Nazi authorities ordered the creation of a propaganda film in Theresienstadt, a ghetto and concentration camp in the German-occupied region of the former Czechoslovakia.¹ The film—a portion of which is featured here—seemed to show Jewish prisoners happy and thriving. The camp was described as a "spa town" where elderly Jews could "retire in safety." The carefully crafted image of Theresienstadt became a means to deceive the public about the fate of European Jews. In reality, more than one-half of the roughly 140,000 Jews held there were deported to killing centers in German-occupied territories. Another 33,000 died while imprisoned in Theresienstadt.

Pressured by the Danish government, in 1944 German authorities permitted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to inspect the camp to verify that Danish Jews there were not being mistreated. The Red Cross visit gave German authorities the opportunity to stage an elaborate performance that seemed to confirm that Jewish prisoners were living well at Theresienstadt. Before the visit, camp leadership took extensive measures to "beautify" the camp—they deported a large portion of the population to reduce overcrowding, built a swimming pool, planted gardens, constructed parks, renovated barracks, and planned cultural events.

After successfully deceiving the Red Cross representatives,² Nazi authorities then decided to make a propaganda film on location at Theresienstadt. The film's "cast," musicians, and director Kurt Gerron³ were all prisoners of Theresienstadt. The film was made under the close supervision of the SS. A production company was hired from Prague to produce the film, along with a Czech photographer and cameraman named Ivan Fric. The film was shot between August and September of 1944 but was not completed until early 1945.

As this clip demonstrates, the film created a fantasy world. The scenes portrayed Jewish inhabitants of Theresienstadt partaking in sporting events, attending musical concerts, working in a factory, relaxing, and enjoying meals together. In an interview, Fric⁴ called the film "absurd theater." He stated that he would not have believed the scenes in the film if he had not personally shot them. Immediately following the film shoot, deportations to Auschwitz renewed and intensified. Most of the Jewish people featured in the footage were deported shortly afterward. Gerron was sent to Auschwitz on the last train from Theresienstadt on October 28, 1944, where he was immediately killed. The film was never publicly shown, and today it exists only in fragments.

The film is sometimes known by its German title, The Führer Gives a City to the Jews [German: "Der Fuehrer schenkt den Juden eine Stadt"]. For more on the Theresienstadt camp, see H.G. Adler, Theresienstadt, 1941–1945: The Fate of a Coerced Community, translated by Belinda Cooper (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017). For more on Theresienstadt as a subject of Nazi propaganda, see USHMM's online exhibit State of Deception.

On June 23, 1944, two delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross and one from the Danish Red Cross visited the ghetto and were apparently satisfied with conditions there. For the perspective of one of these representatives, see the related Experiencing History item, Shoah Outtake with Maurice Rossel.

Before the war, Gerron was already a famous cabaret performer, actor, and movie director. Gerron appeared in more than 70 films in the 1920s and directed several landmark European films. In 1942, Gerron was arrested in Amsterdam and interned at Westerbork. He was transferred to Theresienstadt in 1944. There, Gerron staged his own cabaret with fellow actors and musicians called "Carousel" for the camp prisoners. Survivors of Theresienstadt who remember Gerron have stated that art insulated him in a fantasy world, living outside the reality of the camp. Directing the propaganda film gave Gerron one last opportunity to pursue his passion, to work as a director, and to regain some sense of normalcy. In exchange for making the film, camp authorities promised Gerron protection from deportation. The Czech filmcrew were never allowed to interact with Gerron directly—they were forced to speak only through an SS officer.

Fric's interview appears in two documentaries: Kurt Gerron's Karussell, directed by Ilona Ziok (Los Angeles, CA: Seventh Art Releasing, 1999) and Prisoner of Paradise, directed by Malcolm Clarke and Stuart Sender (Alexandria, VA: PBS Home Video, 2005).

[German transcription]

Eine kleine Barackenstadt ist das Arbeitszentrum.

Dem allgemeinen Wohl dienende Arbeiten aller Art werden von Männern und Frauen in Einsatzgruppen in sogenannten Hundertschaften durchgeführt. Die Gruppen werden je nach Bedarf für die verschiedenen Aufgaben bestimmt und umgeschult. Jede arbeitsfähige Kraft hat sofort die Möglichkeit, sich in den Arbeitsprozeß rasch und reibungslos einzugliedern. Die Werkstätten der Taschner und Schneider, der Schneiderinnen, Weißnäherinnen, der Schuster und anderer Handwerker sind hier unter der Leitung von Fachkräften in vollem Betrieb.

Wenn der Arbeitstag endet und der Feierabend beginnt, strömen aus den verschiedenen Vorwerken und Arbeitsbaracken die Arbeiter und Arbeiterinnen wieder in die Stadt zurück.

Die Gestaltung der Freizeit ist jedem einzelnen überlassen.

Oft nimmt der Strom der Heimkehrenden nur eine Richtung: zur größten Sportveranstaltung in Theresienstadt, zum Fußballwettspiel. Um die Zuschauermenge fassen zu können, findet das Wettspiel immer auf dem Hof einer früheren Kaserne statt. Wegen des etwas beschränkten Spielraumes sind die beiden Mannschaften nur je sieben Mann stark. Trotzdem wird von Anfang bis zum Ende den begeistert mitgehenden Zuschauern ein hartes Spiel geliefert.

Ein Zentralbad steht der Bevölkerung zur Verfügung.

Die reich ausgestattete Zentralbücherei enthält neben schöngeistiger auch reichhaltiger wissenschaftlichen Literatur und wird den verschiedensten Ansprüchen gerecht.

Abendvorträge über wissenschaftliche und künstlerische Themen haben ihren ständigen fachkundigen [?] Zuhörerkreis.

[English translation]

A little barracks city is the work center.

Men and women in groups of 100 perform work of all kinds for the common good. The groups, as needed, are assigned and retrained for the various tasks. Everyone who is able to work can immediately fit into the work process quickly and smoothly. The workshops of the bag makers, tailors, dressmakers, seamstresses, shoemakers, and other craftsmen operate here at full speed, under the management of skilled personnel.

When the workday is over and the evening begins, the workers stream from the various outlying sites and work barracks, headed back to the city. Use of free time is left to the individual.

Often, the stream of returning workers moves in only one direction: toward Theresienstadt’s greatest sports event, the soccer match. To accommodate the crowd of spectators, the match always takes place in the courtyard of former military barracks. Because of the limited space for play, each team has only seven players. Nonetheless, they deliver a hard-fought game to the enthusiastic fans, from start to finish.

A central bath serves the population.

In addition to general literature, the richly equipped central library offers extensive scholarly and scientific holdings and can meet a wide range of demands.

Evening lectures on science and art attract a learned group of regular attendees.

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