The Holocaust is one of the better know genocides worldwide. Every school, especially in the United States, teaches its students about Hitler’s prosecution of the Jews. Perhaps the Holocaust is one of the better known genocides because of the extraordinary amount of administrative records of the death squads, the concentration camps, the deportations etc. Yet this documentation extends far beyond the perpetrators. Stories of the victims exist in mass and are widely read; for example the The Diary of Anne Frank. Likewise, the production “Through Children’s Eyes” combines children’s writings from the concentration camp Terezin with music to bring outsiders into the world of the Holocaust from the perspective of a child in order to make the Holocaust feel real for future generations.
Originally, Terezin was a city built in Czechoslovakia the late 18th century. However, Hitler turned the city into a so-called “haven” for the Jews. Some called it a concentration camp, others a ghetto; in reality, it was a way-station in the Jews’ journey to the death camps of Auschwitz or Treblinka. Terezin was also where Hitler sent Jewish artists and musicians to show the world that he treated the Jews fairly. Indeed, the Red Cross visited Terezin once to assess the treatment of Jews. The Nazi regime spruced up the camp so the Red Cross found it to be acceptable living conditions. The artists and musicians of the camp would steal paper and pencils to record their life and even gave some supplies to the Jewish children. It is these writings and drawings of the children that inspired the musical “Through Children’s Eyes.”
The pieces of “Through Children’s Eyes” vary in content. One discusses an old man chewing on a piece of bread and eating lentils, another tells of not wanting to sleep on the floor for fear of getting dirty, while still another tells a nonsense story about a mouse and a flea. The short writings seen ordinary, yet the music and songs written by David Shukiar place them in the context of a ghetto. Some pieces reflect this context, a young child writes “I’d like to go away alone where there are other nicer people...where no one kills another.” The combination of the introspective music with the sad-innocence of children’s writings draws the reader into the life of a child in the ghetto. The use of children’s writings challenges the viewer to differentiate between ourselves and those children; when we find more similarities than differences we are struck by the horror of the Holocaust anew, making the Holocaust seem all the more real.
Originally, Terezin was a city built in Czechoslovakia the late 18th century. However, Hitler turned the city into a so-called “haven” for the Jews. Some called it a concentration camp, others a ghetto; in reality, it was a way-station in the Jews’ journey to the death camps of Auschwitz or Treblinka. Terezin was also where Hitler sent Jewish artists and musicians to show the world that he treated the Jews fairly. Indeed, the Red Cross visited Terezin once to assess the treatment of Jews. The Nazi regime spruced up the camp so the Red Cross found it to be acceptable living conditions. The artists and musicians of the camp would steal paper and pencils to record their life and even gave some supplies to the Jewish children. It is these writings and drawings of the children that inspired the musical “Through Children’s Eyes.”
The pieces of “Through Children’s Eyes” vary in content. One discusses an old man chewing on a piece of bread and eating lentils, another tells of not wanting to sleep on the floor for fear of getting dirty, while still another tells a nonsense story about a mouse and a flea. The short writings seen ordinary, yet the music and songs written by David Shukiar place them in the context of a ghetto. Some pieces reflect this context, a young child writes “I’d like to go away alone where there are other nicer people...where no one kills another.” The combination of the introspective music with the sad-innocence of children’s writings draws the reader into the life of a child in the ghetto. The use of children’s writings challenges the viewer to differentiate between ourselves and those children; when we find more similarities than differences we are struck by the horror of the Holocaust anew, making the Holocaust seem all the more real.
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