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The life stories of deprived children - The Theresienstadt orphans, journey to Anna Freud

Publication at Central Library of Charles University |
2022

Abstract

The article deals with connecting information about a group of children who lost their parents at an early age during World War II, were placed in the Terezín concentration camp and after the liberation of Czechoslovakia were sent to England, where they were provided with comprehensive support. The article focuses on two sources of psychoanalytically oriented authors-a study by Anna Freud and Sophie Dann entitled An experiment with group upbringing (Freud and Dann, 1951), which is an example of annual monitoring of the development of deprived children and a study by Sarah Moskovitz (1983, 1985) documenting further development of Terezín children in adulthood.

From a psychological point of view observations indicate the possibility of good adaptation even after severe deprivation in childhood. From a historical point of view, this is a documentation of the fate of Jewish children connected with their stay in Terezín, the engagement of a number of interested helpers, including Anna Freud.