I Never Saw Another Butterfly
Encyclopedia
I Never Saw Another Butterfly is a collection of works of art
and poetry
by Jewish children who lived in the concentration camp Theresienstadt. This book is named after a poem by Pavel Friedman
, a young adult who was incarcerated at Theresienstadt and was later killed at Auschwitz. Where known, the fate of each young author is listed. Most died prior to the camp being liberated.
the Gestapo
used Terezin, better known by the German name Theresienstadt, as a ghetto
. The majority of the Jews sent were scholars, professionals, artists and musicians. Inmates were encouraged to lead creative lives, and concerts were even held. Within the camp, parks, grassy areas and flower beds, concert venues and statues were installed to hide the truth; that most of the inmates were going to be killed. This was all part of a Nazi plot to deceive International Red Cross inspectors into believing that Jews were being treated humanely. This façade masked the fact that of the 144,000 Jews were sent there, about 33,000 died, mostly because of the appalling conditions (hunger, stress
, disease, and an epidemic of typhus
at the very end of the war) . About 88,000 were deported to Auschwitz and other extermination camps . At the end of the war there were 17,247 survivors .
Part of the fortification (Small Fortress) served as the largest Gestapo prison
in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
, separated from the ghetto. Around 90,000 people went through it, and 2,600 of those died there.
It was liberated on May 9, 1945 by the Soviet Army.
. The play centers around Raja, one of the children who survived in Terezin, and her family and friends. She shares her story of living in the concentration camp, while retaining a world filled with butterflies and flowers with other children in the camp...
Kirkland
theatre Studio East
has performed the play as a musical, with poems written by the children set to music.
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
by Jewish children who lived in the concentration camp Theresienstadt. This book is named after a poem by Pavel Friedman
Pavel Friedman
Pavel Friedman was a Jewish Czechoslovak poet who received posthumous fame for his poem The Butterfly....
, a young adult who was incarcerated at Theresienstadt and was later killed at Auschwitz. Where known, the fate of each young author is listed. Most died prior to the camp being liberated.
Terezin
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
used Terezin, better known by the German name Theresienstadt, as a ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
. The majority of the Jews sent were scholars, professionals, artists and musicians. Inmates were encouraged to lead creative lives, and concerts were even held. Within the camp, parks, grassy areas and flower beds, concert venues and statues were installed to hide the truth; that most of the inmates were going to be killed. This was all part of a Nazi plot to deceive International Red Cross inspectors into believing that Jews were being treated humanely. This façade masked the fact that of the 144,000 Jews were sent there, about 33,000 died, mostly because of the appalling conditions (hunger, stress
Stress (medicine)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
, disease, and an epidemic of typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
at the very end of the war) . About 88,000 were deported to Auschwitz and other extermination camps . At the end of the war there were 17,247 survivors .
Part of the fortification (Small Fortress) served as the largest Gestapo prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
, separated from the ghetto. Around 90,000 people went through it, and 2,600 of those died there.
It was liberated on May 9, 1945 by the Soviet Army.
The Play
I Never Saw Another Butterfly is also the name of a one-act play by Celeste RaspantiCeleste Raspanti
Celeste R. Raspanti is a US playwright who has published and produced several full-length and one-act plays.Raspanti has a special interest in the Holocaust, which she first brought to the stage with I Never Saw Another Butterfly, a play based on the real life story of Holocaust survivor Raja...
. The play centers around Raja, one of the children who survived in Terezin, and her family and friends. She shares her story of living in the concentration camp, while retaining a world filled with butterflies and flowers with other children in the camp...
Kirkland
Kirkland, Washington
Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Seattle on the Eastside . The population was 48,787 at the 2010 census makes it the 9th largest city in King County and the 20th largest city in the state...
theatre Studio East
Studio East
Studio East is a 501 non-profit performing arts training organization, dedicated to creating opportunities for children to discover and explore the performing arts. Studio East is located in Kirkland, Washington and serves the entire Seattle area...
has performed the play as a musical, with poems written by the children set to music.