Marta Peková's life would be changed forever when Nazi Germany invaded the Czech lands and occupied her hometown of Prague #OnThisDay in 1939

Marta Peková's life would be changed forever when Nazi Germany invaded the Czech lands and occupied her hometown of Prague #OnThisDay in 1939.

Marta, her husband, Karel, and their young daughter, Alena, pictured here together circa 1939–1940, quickly realized they were trapped in Nazi-controlled Prague with no means or opportunity to emigrate. Along with the rest of the Jewish community in Prague, the family was subjected to numerous antisemitic laws and policies. 

In December 1941, Karel was forcibly relocated to the Theresienstadt ghetto. Less than two weeks later, Marta and Alena were also sent there. 

After several weeks, Marta and Karel found each other. Conditions in the ghetto were horrible—Marta and Karel were required to carry out forced labor assignments and had to live separately. Marta remembered meeting up with her husband after a long day of work, each of them bringing a small piece of food and combining them to make “dinner.”

The family remained in Theresienstadt until they were liberated in May 1945. 

While Marta, Karel, and Alena survived, the rest of Marta's family, including her parents and siblings, did not.

Photo: USHMM, courtesy of Marta Mautnerova Pekova

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