Feb. 25, 2007
Brundibar: How The Nazis Conned The World
Used A Children's Opera To Deceive International Observers
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Play CBS Video Video Nazi Ruse Covered Up Holocaust In Full: With the help of a children's opera, "Brundibar," the Nazis managed to deceive the Red Cross and delay the world's knowledge of the Holocaust. Bob Simon reports.
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Video The Children Of Nazi Leaders In Full: In a story that originally aired April 14, 1991, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Morley Safer reports on the children of Nazi leaders, living in the shadow of the sins of their fathers.
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Interactive Lessons Of Auschwitz A look back at the notorious Nazi death camp where some 1.5 million people perished.
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Interactive World War II Remembering the more than 50 million lives lost.
"It was lovely this was very nice, very liberating. Very—and of course the whole—not only the whole room, the whole house, the whole town sang the victory song afterwards," Gross remembers.
The whole town was mesmerized by the opera, the story of an evil man with a mustache. An evil man with a moustache? Did the kids have any idea what the opera was really about?
"Oh, yes, they knew exactly the symbolic meaning. I'm sure they did. The whole thing was of course symbolic, you know? Brundibar was Hitler. So, oh yes, they knew," says Gross.
"It was our way to fight the evil. The Germans, maybe," says Handa Drori, who was a member of the chorus. Once, she got a chance to play the dog.
Brundibar is a story of defiance.
Asked if the Germans didn't realize that or whether they worried about it, Drori tells Simon, "Yeah that what we wondered all the time. If they don't understand that what we are singing is against them. If they don't understand it. Or if they just don't care, because they knew what we didn't know. That we are meant all to go to the gas chambers and to die, not to survive. Maybe they thought, 'Ah let the Jews play a little bit before they go to be, to be killed.'"
But by 1944 reports were circulating in allied capitals that Jews were being deported and exterminated.
The Nazis wanted to refute those reports and decided on an audacious deception: to make Theresienstadt look like a model Jewish town and to invite in the International Red Cross for an inspection and to make a propaganda film showing what a nice place it was.
A beautification plan was implemented immediately. They painted buildings, planted flowers, opened stores, and put up a bandstand in the town square.
They built a kindergarten in a small park, near our children's home. They opened a coffee shop. And those chose the people who sit there. And listen to music, and drink their coffee. Usually young, pretty women. They made Terezin into a beautiful, little place," remembers Helga Kinsky, who watched it all unfold.
And they made it a lot less crowded. Just before the Red Cross delegation arrived, the Nazis shipped 7,500 people off to Auschwitz, creating more open spaces. The stage was now set. On June 23rd, 1944, the Red Cross delegates came for their one day visit and the show began. The Nazis decided that a performance of Brundibar would be the highlight.
Paul Sandfort was in the orchestra that day and played the trumpet.
Asked what that particular performance was like, Sandfort tells Simon, "It was a little more tense. A little more tense because we had to…this feeling of…I at least has the feeling you must not fail. You must play for your life."
The Red Cross delegates went exactly where the Nazis took them. They didn’t question a single prisoner. They saw no evil, they heard no evil. In fact, the Swiss head of the delegation took pictures to show how happy the children looked.
The deception worked. The final report of the Red Cross delegation read that Theresienstadt looks like a normal provincial town where and the "elegantly dressed women all had silk stockings scarves and stylish handbags." The delegates also wrote that Theresienstadt is a final destination camp and that people who come here are not sent elsewhere.
In fact by the time of the visit, some 68,000 people had already been shipped from here to the death camps.
Sandfort acknowledges the Nazis did convince the world. "But they only convinced the world because the world wanted to be convinced. It's easier."
Produced By Paul Bellinger and Michael Gavshon
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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See all 77 CommentsI am an English teacher and teach an Anne Frank unit. Over the years, you have had wonderful stories about the holocaust. In February you ran one called the Mascot. I was wondering if you could send me that show (I have been having consider trouble accessing it on my computer). Also, if it not too much trouble, would you please send me any other stories that relate to the holocaust? Thank you for your time. Shannon Fox, Braham Area High School, 531 Elmhurst Ave. S.W., Braham, MN 55006
You throw that word "ignorant" so carelessly into the discussion at your own risk as it comes back and hits you in the face.
Sign this Appeal.
This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.
An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.
It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6.
The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.
If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.
Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and attacks by our media on our conduct and mission act to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us and actively oppose media attacks on our mission and our morale.
This Appeal will be delivered to members of Congress.
http://www.appealforcourage.org/
"Deep down, I believe that a little anti-Semitism is a good thing for the Jews - reminds us who we are." --Jay Lefkowitz (NYT Magazine. Feb.12, 1995. Page 65).
Jay Lefkowitz is now Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy.
A sick man! Don't you think?
Peace.
Michael Santomauro
Editorial Director
253 West 72nd street #1711
New York, NY 10023
http://www.tadp.org
Call anytime: 212-787-7891
"If you tell a lie big enough & keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."
- Joseph Gobbels (Nazi Propaganda Minister)
How well this quote describes the Bush/Cheney adm. & their never ending lies; especially the War on Terror (a War of Terror against the American people) & the North American Union ( read about this--I am very alarmed by this--it could mean the end of the USA--I intend to write my Congressmen & tell him to vote against any further legislation directed towards the formation of the North American Union, which is scheduled to exist by 2010--the Bush/Cheney adm. is handling this very quietly).
"This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun control. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!" ---Adolph Hitler, 1933
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/070305fa_fact_hersh
Just copy up to the Hersh on the news stream this web site is adding a n on the end of the paste!
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/070305fa_fact_hersh
Iran Contra, al Qaeda Lebanon same oh same oh! The Bush Administration is covertly supporting a minimum of three Sunni al Qaeda organizations in Lebanon to act as a buffer against the Shiite Hezbollah. Yes and the money is coming from the billions of dollars unaccounted for from Iraq! This support is not regulated by Congress, is in direct contravention to the WAR on TERROR the NEOCONS expound, and is under the same pretext as the Iran Contra Scandal of the late 1980s! This was reported by Wolf Blitzer yesterday on CNN and again tonight!
Email your senators and representatives and tell them your views! LET THEM KNOW YOU KNOW OF THIS DIRTY LITTLE SECRET!
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_in
formation/senators_cfm.cfm OR http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
"Deep down, I believe that a little anti-Semitism is a good thing for the Jews - reminds us who we are." --Jay Lefkowitz (NYT Magazine. Feb.12, 1995. Page 65).
Jay Lefkowitz is now Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy.
A sick man! Don't you think?
Peace.
Michael Santomauro
Editorial Director
253 West 72nd street #1711
New York, NY 10023
http://www.tadp.org
Call anytime: 212-787-7891
"Deep down, I believe that a little anti-Semitism is a good thing for the Jews - reminds us who we are." --Jay Lefkowitz (NYT Magazine. Feb.12, 1995. Page 65).
Jay Lefkowitz is now Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy.
A sick man! Don't you think?
Peace.
Michael Santomauro
Editorial Director
253 West 72nd street #1711
New York, NY 10023
http://www.tadp.org
Call anytime: 212-787-7891
Iran Contra, al Qaeda Lebanon same oh same oh! The Bush Administration is covertly supporting a minimum of three Sunni al Qaeda organizations in Lebanon to act as a buffer against the Shiite Hezbollah. Yes and the money is coming from the billions of dollars unaccounted for from Iraq! This support is not regulated by Congress, is in direct contravention to the WAR on TERROR the NEOCONS expound, and is under the same pretext as the Iran Contra Scandal of the late 1980s! This was reported yesterday on CNN!
Email your senators and representatives and tell them your views! LET THEM KNOW YOU KNOW OF THIS DIRTY LITTLE SECRET!
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_in
formation/senators_cfm.cfm OR http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
It seems that from time to time the media runs these types of articles in order to ensure America does not forget how badly the Jewish People had it in Europe and how America should continue to give special treatment to Israel because of past wrongs. Israeli lobbying groups are selling access to American elected as you can see in their lobbying group advertisement below.
http://www.aipac.org/forms/joi
n_aipacClubs.htm
Blind support of Israel is hurting American interest abroad. For years no one would say anything against promoting the Israeli agenda for fear of being labeled an anti-Semitist but now America is learning it is also acceptable to disagree with Israeli promoters like these AIPAC members who would gladly sell thousands of American soldier%u2019s lives to promote Israeli interest! America did not perpetrate the wrongs of Europe against its people over 70 years ago and are not responsible for correcting them now! There is starting to be a backlash against Israel and other Middle Eastern countries among the American Public for meddling in the politics of our nation and fighting their proxy wars. The longer we interject American military and money in the Middle East the longer the problems will exists. Who cares if a country does not recognize Israels right to exist? For years America did not recognize Peoples Republic of Chinas right to exist either!
C'mon, blame Clinton on this lost war, go ahead, you want to sooo bad.
Your king had the congress, the house, the courts all on their side, and still screwed everything up. Your funny loser. Ain't it funny watching Mccain backstab your hero rumsfeld. What about the thousands of soldiers against the war now? hahahaha, blaming the libs is truly funny. Show's your true ignorance and pompous reality.
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