When Helena's relatives were deported to the ghetto in Terezín, the Waněk family sent them food parcels.
Since postal communication with the deportees was easier from the territory annexed directly to Germany than from the Protectorate, they began sending food parcels to complete strangers who they learned were suffering from hunger in the ghetto.
They were sending these from various post offices in the area so as not to attract attention, as helping people identified as Jews was a criminal offense and carried heavy penalties. The Waněk's apartment was also searched by the Gestapo, but fortunately they managed to destroy all evidence of the correspondence in time.
Photos from the family archive: Walter and Eva Waněk
In September 1942, Walter and Eva, as “Jewish half-breeds,” were no longer allowed to enter the 5th grade of grammar school. No other school accepted them either.
From then on, Eva worked as a maid, Walter became an auxiliary worker, and eventually, together with their father Josef, they were put to forced labor in dangerous chemical production lines.