He was born in Horodenka
and during World War I his family moved to Brno, Moravia
(now in the Czech Republic). Brought up in a Zionist
atmosphere, he was active in Zionist youth movements. In
1933 he was appointed head of the Palestine Office of the
Hechalutz Zionist movement in Prague. Edelstein went to
Palestine in 1937 but was disappointed with his work there
and returned to Prague. When the Germans entered Prague in
March 1939 he was the Jewish official dealing with
emigration to Palestine and became the Jewish representative
in contacts with the Germans. He was permitted to travel
abroad and everywhere warned Jewish leaders of the dangerous
situation that had developed. He had many opportunities to
remain abroad but felt his place was in Czechoslovakia.
Edelstein did what he could to prevent the deportation of
Czech Jews and saw the establishment of the Theresienstadt
Ghetto as an achievement in this direction, not realizing
that the Germans saw it only as a temporary destination. He
himself arrived there in December 1941 and became the first
head of its Judenrat. Edelstein stood up courageously on
behalf of the inmates, earning the anger of the Germans who
dismissed him from his post and sent him and his family to
their deaths in Auschwitz
Bibliography
BONDY, Ruth. "Elder of the
Jews": Jakob Edelstein of Theresienstadt. (Translated
from the Hebrew by Evelyn Abel). 1st ed. Pp. xiv, 476. New
York: Grove Press, 1989
Links
"Model Ghetto" Theresienstadt, 1941-1945
Terezin (Theresienstadt)
