The Power of Music: A Jewish Rebellion

Jewish prisoners perform at Theresienstadt during the 1944 visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross. —ICRC/Maurice Rossel

After the Nazis deported 476 Jews from Denmark, the Danish government pressured Germany to allow the Red Cross to inspect the Theresienstadt camp, where the Danes had been sent. The Nazis created an elaborate hoax to give the impression that the Jews living there were thriving. Jewish prisoners whom the Nazis forced to perform for the Red Cross delegation made the bold decision to sing what they could not say. In this digital program, conductor Murry Sidlin and Museum historian Edna Friedberg discuss their musical rebellion and efforts to honor these courageous artists.