“My husband Emil became seriously sick in Terezín, from the bad food and stress. One morning the news came that he was on the list. They selected him for one of the last transports to Auschwitz.

There was nothing I could do to prevent this, in spite of my good job in the camp self-administration. So I wanted to take my daughter and join him – family members could volunteer for transports. I visited Emil at the sick-ward and told him.

His response was quick and firm: “I beg you, don’t go of your own will! I’ll know that you are safe here.” With this decision he saved both me and our daughter.

Of course, by that time we had heard about the gas chambers, but one just didn’t want to believe it. Me, for one, I had gone to German schools and simply couldn’t imagine Germans to be able to do such a thing.”