Pavel Stránský was born in 1921 into a Vinohrady Czech Jewish family. After the occupation and the establishment of the Protectorate, his father was unable to cope with the flood of anti-Jewish legislation and committed suicide. In December 1941, then twenty years old Pavel was deported to Terezín, as a member of the so-called Aufbaukommando, the “builder unit” tasked with the preparation of the ghetto for the intake of mass transports of Jews. He got married in Terezín; shortly after the marriage he was deported to the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, together with his wife. Subsequently he survived the camp Schwarzheide and the death march back to Terezín, where he was liberated. The interview was recorded on January 12, 1996.
Jan Klusák was born in 1934 in Prague. His father came from a Jewish family, his mother did not. During the Protectorate, his parents decided to fake a divorce, to use the “Aryan” status of his mother to protect Jan from the effects of the anti-Jewish legislation. This was a fateful mistake, for in April 1942 the father was deported to the Terezín ghetto. Neither he nor Jan’s uncles Rudolf and Karel lived to see the liberation. After the war, Jan became a well-known and respected music composer. The interview was recorded on May 23, 1997.