History and Resources

Danish Rescue of the Jews＋

The details about the rescue of the Jews in Denmark are based on true events. Denmark saved 7,220 of their people from deportation. The picture here is a fishing boat carrying some of them to Sweden.

Monopoly boards in Terezin＋

Real Monopoly boards created for children of Terezin.

Pink Triangles＋

Pre-Nazi Berlin was one of the safest places to be queer at the time, but that changed when Hitler came to power. Pink triangles were placed on gay and bi men and trans women in Nazi Germany. Queer women and trans men were rarely persecuted for their sexuality. The pink triangle shown here indicates the person was also Jewish. Queer German men were not released from concentration camps after the war. Because homosexuality was still illegal there, people remained in prison until the early 1960's in some cases. By the early 1970's, the upside down pink triangle was reclaimed by gay rights activists to show their pride.

Life inside Terezin＋

Terezin was the Czech name of the camp. The Germans referred to it as Theresienstadt. I called it Terezin throughout the book to avoid confusion.

Red Cross Visit＋

The Red Cross visited Terezin in 1943. The "Embellishment" was the effort to use Terezin as a propaganda tool as shown in the book. People tried to slip notes to the delegates, but they still found the camp "acceptable." The picture is of the children calling to the Commandant at the soccer game.

Defiant Requiem＋

In real life, the Defiant Requiem was played at the Red Cross visit. The choir and their real-life director, Rafael Schacter, were sent to Auschwitz. This piece is played all over the world, accompanied by a multi-media show in honor of their brave performance.

Artist's Affair＋

Like in the book, four artists were caught trying to get artwork like this to the Allies. One was beaten to death. The rest were sent to Auschwitz with their families. Leo Haas was the only one to survive. He went back to Terezin to retrieve more drawings like this one.