Source A: The Czech Girls' Home
"Today is Mother's Day. The girls have been so excited about making presents for their mothers. I felt terribly strange. My parents are in Palestine. I thought that on this special day, I should give a present to the person who I feel is almost like my mother, and that is exactly how I feel about Mrs. Milstein and Tela. For a year and a half, they have looked after me like mothers, why shouldn't I repay them? I want to be like them. I have prepared little presents for them. I had a strange feeling when I saw Mrs. Milstein sitting at the table! I approached her slowly, and finally gave her the present, adding a sweet kiss, and ran away. I saw that she was surprised and pleased. I was a hundred times happier than she was. I went to Tela, trembling all over. I wished her well and began to cry. Suddenly I felt so good. I will never be able to forget Mother's Day in Theresienstadt."
R.S., 13 years old, heim 28
In Their Footsteps - A Visitor's Guide to Terezin, (Heb.), p. 13
Source B: Jewish Education in the Ghetto
March 17, 1942
"In the evening, there was a talk with the female counselors. I lectured for almost a full hour, but the counselors were so tired, they did not pay the kind of attention to the lecture that I usually require. I wanted to start a debate on Jewish education but failed. I hope I will succeed next time. What do you tell a child that steals coal? The child sees everyone stealing and loses all sense of morality."
Redlich, The Theresienstadt Diary of Gonda Redlich, p. 28
Source C: The Betreuers*
Issue No. 2, November 5, 1943
I'm thinking about what to write and all of a sudden an idea pops into my mind. I'll tell you all about the madrichim - the Betreuers*. The central figure in our Home is Georg Frankl. He is very strict with us. But he is able to get us anything we need, from an alarm clock to closets. As it turns out, he hates dirt. On November 1, at ten minutes past eight, a moment arrived that everyone will always remember. The mess was supposed to be tidied up in five minutes. I won't say any more about [the madrich] Jerka, and I'll go on to Rita. Tidiness and other things are taken care of by the Betreuers, one of whom is Rita. Like most women, she rules moderately and in that she is not exceptional. Nu, and now it's Pepa's turn; he is all over the place and stays in each place for just a minute. The ladies Drarova and Flosrova are responsible for the cooking. The manager of the Pischkollonne is Aunt Annie, whose broom we took, but when she said that she wouldn't make Ordnung [order], we gave it back to her voluntarily. See you in the next bulletin.
Midalias.
*The caretakers. The educators were called madrichim and the caretakers were called Betreuers. Bondy, They Called It Friend, (Heb.), p. 70
