IN MEMORIAM
The Defiant Requiem Foundation lost four dear friends and Terezín survivors in 2022. May their memories be a blessing.
ZDENKA FANTLOVÁ EHRLICH Zdenka Fantlová Ehrlich died peacefully at the age of 100 in her home in London on November 14. She was born to a Czech-Jewish family in the town of Blatná on March 28, 1922. Zdenka was deported to Terezín on January 20, 1942. She worked in the kitchens at the camp and also performed in cabarets and plays. She was briefly reunited with her boyfriend Arno, who was deported to Auschwitz in June, 1942. The night before Arno left, he gave Zdenka a tin ring inscribed with the date: 13.6.1942. Zdenka never saw him again, but she held on to the ring through her time in Terezín, Auschwitz, Kurzbach, Gross-Rosen, Mauthausen and Bergen-Belsen. She would later, in 1996, publish a book, The Tin Ring , about her time with Arno and her experiences during the war. The Tin Ring was adapted into a one woman show by Jane Arnfield and Mike Alfreds in 2010. From Bergen Belsen, Zdenka was sent to Sweden to recover from the horrors of the camp. She found work in a biscuit factory, and then worked for the Czech Embassy in Sweden. In 1949, after learning she was the only surviving member of her family, she moved to Melbourne, Australia. A year later she met Charles Ehrlich, and they were married in 1950. Zdenka worked as an actress for the Tana Theatre, started by Terezín survivor Hana Pravda. In 1969, Zdenka, Charles, and their daughter moved to London, where she remained for the rest of her life. Zdenka appears in the Defiant Requiem film, sharing her experiences in Terezín. FELIX KOLMER Felix Kolmer passed away on August 5 at the age of 100. Born in Prague on May 3, 1922, his father died when he was nine years old. In 1941, Felix was on the first transport from Prague to Terezín. A month later, his mother arrived. She died there in 1942. Felix got married at the camp in 1944, however, through technicalities, the marriage was annulled twice. Ultimately, they married a third time and much later, had two sons. In 1944, Felix was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau. There, he was awakened one night and directed to a train headed to the sulfur mines. He had seen hundreds of people transported to the mines, but no one returned. When the searchlight was not on the train car he was in, Felix jumped out and went to the next train. He wound up at Friedland, part of Gross-Rosen. On May 10, Soviet planes bombed the power station, which cut off the electricity to the fence at Friedland. When they saw the lights go out, Felix and two hundred prisoners took the opportunity to escape. After the war he became an acoustics professor at the Czech Technical University and designed sound systems for the country’s biggest concert halls including the world- renowned Rudolfinum. Kolmer was also chairman of the Czech Holocaust Survivors Association, and a former deputy president of the Prague Jewish community. Sadly, Felix’s younger son committed suicide at 17, and his wife died of a heart attack shortly afterwards. He got through these difficult times by concentrating on his work. His testimony of his time in Terezín is featured in the Defiant Requiem film. He is survived by Vera, his companion of 40 years.
Photo credit: Partisan Pictures
Photo credit: Partisan Pictures
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