History
ahead of her - and left the cinema. This traumatic experience
stayed with Anka. So much so that when Eva was at school in
the UK after the War, Anka would go to the cinema every day.
Eva explained her mother’s recollection of the first time she had
to wear the yellow Star of David badge. “When Anka went out,
people ignored the yellow star, while other Jews were treated
differently because of it.” This was possibly because Anka was a
very confident and attractive woman.
Not long after this, Anka received a card in the post, along with
Bernd, instructing her to report to a warehouse in Prague - near
the railway station. They were told to take a small suitcase, in-
cluding clothes, and even pots & pans. It was clear that they
were expecting to be there for some time - it was more than
likely a labour camp.
The famous ‘Jude’ badge,
which Nazis forced all Jewish
people aged 6+ to wear.
When heading to the labour camp, Theresienstadt, Anka took a cardboard box containing
two or three dozen donuts - she had no idea where the next meal would be coming from. Af-
ter spending three days and three nights in the warehouse, Anka was then marched to the rail-
way station. All of the Jews were surrounded by young German officers. One officer said to
Anka, as her box of donuts began to fall apart, “I couldn’t give a f**k if that box goes with you
or not.” It was clear that he wanted to wield his power and to threaten her.
On arriving to the labour camp, families were split up but were able to meet up at certain
times during the day. This applied to Anka and Bernd. Anka worked for the man who shared
out the food at the labour camp. This meant that she had access to food, some of which she
could steal. Anka had to find food for 15 members of her family every day, as very little food
was provided in the camps.
Eva’s parents remained at Theresienstadt for three years, simply because they were strong and
healthy enough to work. After this, Bernd was sent to Auschwitz - Anka volunteered to go with
him. She wondered how much worse their treatment from the Nazis could get, and wanted to
be with Bernd.
Anka never saw Bernd again.
Bernd Nathan had been shot dead on 18th January 1945, just nine days before the camp was
liberated.
Anka also discovered that she was pregnant - she and Bernd had been meeting secretly. How-
ever, becoming pregnant in a concentration camp was punishable by death. This is because
the Nazis were attempting to eradicate the Jews, so did not want more to be born. Five moth-
ers, including Anka, were forced to sign a document declaring that once their babies were
born, they must be handed over to be ‘euthanised’. This term was used for what essentially
meant that the babies would be murdered. The four other families who signed the document
perished.