Exploring the traces of Jewish Český Těšín

Liquidation of the living and of the dead

Nazi Germany set itself the goal of murdering all Jews, or rather all the people whom the Nazis considered to be Jews. To this end, it set up a whole network of concentration camps and death camps. The programme of industrial murder was referred to by the phrase 'the final solution to the Jewish question', and the newspapers spoke of 'the relocation of the Jews'. The first deportation of Jews took place as early as October 1939, the destination being Nisko on San river. At least 200 people from Těšín were in these transports.

Parallel to the genocide of all Jews, there was also the genocide of all Roma and the murder of other inconvenient persons, especially the Polish intelligentsia.

German hatred did not avoid the dead either, and Jewish cemeteries were destroyed throughout Těšín Silesia with the intention of turning them into parks. The decree of the Těšín Landrat of March 19, 1943 stated that public parks will be the appropriate use of these places, since "after the relocation of the Jews, further use of these cemeteries is out of the question.” Fortunately, however, the Jewish cemeteries in Polish Cieszyn and partially also in Český Těšín survived.


Why do you think the destruction of Jewish cemeteries was part of German policy?

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