Sonja's Life and Times - Chronology

March 15, 1939 – Germans march into Bohemia and Moravia

1940 – Sonja and Renée are on a waiting list for Children’s Transports to safety, which is then cancelled.

Sept 1,1941 – All Jews must wear Yellow Stars.

1941 – Their relatives in the USA buy and send Cuban visas, but there is no money left to buy tickets.

Nov. 1, 1941 to 1942 – All Czech towns are emptied of Jews. Most are sent to the Terezin (German name: Theresienstadt) Concentration Camp.

Aug. 3, 1942 – Sonja, Renée, their mother and grandmother are deported to Terezin.

Sept. 28, 1943 – Their grandmother dies in Terezin of untreated breast cancer.

June 23, 1944 – Germans schedule inspection of Terezin by International Red Cross Delegation.

April 1944 to May 1944 – Beautification for the inspection includes eliminating overcrowding by deporting 7500 Jews to Auschwitz .

May 18, 1944 – Sonja, Renée, and their mother are killed in Auschwitz .

There are some older resources that erroneously indicate Sonja had survived the Holocaust. While we wish that were true, it is not.