The traditional Terezín Commemoration took place at the National Cemetery in front of the Small Fortress in Terezín on Sunday, May 19, 2024. The event was organized by the Terezín Memorial in cooperation with the Ústí nad Labem Region, the City of Terezín, the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic and the Terezín Initiative. The Terezín Commemoration 2024 was held under the auspices of Czech Minister of Culture Martin Baxa.
The Terezín Commemoration has been held annually since 1947, always on the third Sunday in May at the end of the International Days of Remembrance of the Resistance, in reference to the so-called Buchenwald Oath. It was a declaration by the liberated prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945 that they would not stop commemorating the events of the war until all roots of Nazism had been eradicated.
In addition to the most distinguished guests ‒ former prisoners, among them not only former inmates of the Nazi repressive facilities in Terezín, and many visitors ‒ the commemorative event was also attended by top political representatives of the Czech Republic: Czech President Petr Pavel, Miloš Vystrčil, Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, other officials representing public administration institutions, regional governments, cities and municipalities. Also in attendance were Ambassadors and other diplomats from numerous foreign countries, delegations of the Terezín Memorial’s partner organizations from the Czech Republic and abroad, church dignitaries, and many others.
Once the Guard of Honour and the Band of the Army of the Czech Republic had arrived, the commemoration started at 10 a.m. with the laying of wreaths and bouquets. The Czech national anthem was sung by baritone singer Petr Matuszka. Jan Roubínek, Director of the Terezín Memorial, then welcomed all the guests. Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, gave the keynote speech. She was followed by Dita Krausová, a former prisoner of the Terezín Ghetto and other Nazi camps, who gave her message.
“I believe I still have a task to accomplish. I strive to share with younger generations the fate of the Jews during the Nazi regime and to recount my own experiences. I hope to encourage my listeners to reflect on what led to the horrific events we Jews endured,” Mrs. Krausová told her audience. The central theme of her speech was the importance of remembering the past and promoting tolerance among all people, nations, and members of different religions.
This was followed by the traditional Christian and Jewish prayers and the Commemoration ended with a musical performance by the girls’ choir from Litoměřice ‒ Puellae cantantes.
In the afternoon, the guests could also attend a musical matinee with baritone singer Petr Matuszek and pianist Jiří Knott, as well as a ceremony of accepting a gift ‒ the original parchment Torah scroll from the defunct synagogue in Šaľa, Slovakia. Some prewar members of the Šaľa Jewish community were kept as prisoners in the Terezín Ghetto during World War II. The valuable scroll was donated to the Terezín Memorial by Imrich Donath, Slovak Honorary Consul in Bad Homburg, Germany.
Naděžda Seifertová
