8 May 1945 — Liberation of Theresienstadt On 8 May 1945, as World War II in Europe officially came to an end, survivors inside Theresienstadt Ghetto experienced a fragile and uncertain sense of freedom. The Nazis had portrayed Theresienstadt as a so-called “model ghetto,” using it for propaganda — even staging visits for the International Committee of the Red Cross to create the illusion of humane conditions. In reality, the ghetto was severely overcrowded, unsanitary, and functioned primarily a

"The most important thing was to keep something from home ... and that was my doll." When seven-year-old Inge Auerbacher arrived at the Theresienstadt ghetto with her parents, most of their possessions were confiscated. But, Inge held on tight to her doll, Marlene. Inge's story is not a myth or fiction—it is the undeniable truth. | United States Holocaust Memorial Museum