Vera Schulzova and Arnost Schulz

This is a picture of my uncle Arnost Schulz and his wife Vera Schulzova, nee Hellerova. The photo was taken in the 1930s.

My grandparents' only son, Uncle Arnost, was born in 1898; he was the second oldest of the siblings. He graduated from an agricultural school in Ceske Budejovice and took charge of the estate after my granddad's death.

My grandmother transferred half of the estate over to him and kept the other half. He married Aunt Vera Hellerova, a Jewess from an estate in Zalesany.

They had two daughters, Sonja and Gita. Sonja was born in 1929, survived Terezin and, after the war became an actress. She died at the age of 29.

Gita was born in 1933, also survived Terezin, and immediately after the Soviet occupation and 1968 finally emigrated with her husband and daughter to Germany.

She died in Munich in 1992. Aunt Vera also left for Germany to stay with Gita and her family. She died in Munich, just short of her 90th birthday.

Uncle Arnost didn't survive the Holocaust. The Germans seized the estate in 1939 and arrested him. Via the Brno Kounic track he was sent to Auschwitz where he perished in 1941.

At that time, his mother, wife and children were still at home in Palupin. They were deported to Terezin in May 1942. Beforehand, Uncle Arnost had tried to emigrate to Argentina, but that was conditional on him being a Catholic.

The whole family had to get baptized in the little church in Palupin. But his attempt of emigration failed. It was too late already.

Many Jewish people got baptized at this time but according to the Protectorate law they were taken still as Jews.