Eva Mándlová Roubíčková papers

Copyright Holder: Eva M. Roubíčková Eva Mändlová (later Roubíčková, 1921-2013) was born in Sudetenland (now Žatec, Czech Republic) to Arnost (1888-1944) and Antonia (1899-1944) Mändl. Arnost, a veteran of World War I, was a professor of Latin and Greek and Antonia took care of Eva and was a volunteer organist at their synagogue. In the mid-1930s Arnost became increasingly concerned for his family’s safety because Eva was experiencing anti-Semitic attacks at school. As a result, Eva, Arnost, Antonia, and Eva’s grandmother left for Prague in 1938. While in Prague, Eva met her future husband, Richard Roubíček (c.1910-1993). Richard attempted to obtain visas for both of their families, but he was only able to secure paperwork for himself. He left for England in 1939 and planned to arrange for his family and Eva’s family to follow. He soon secured a job for Eva in England, but because she was only 17 she could not obtain a work permit. In 1941 Eva and her mother were sent to Theresienstadt and her father was sent in 1942. In the ghetto Eva worked on a farm and would often smuggle food back for her family. In October 1942, she was caught and interrogated, but narrowly missed being transported. Slowly members of her family were transported, but Eva remained at Theresienstadt until liberation. After the war, Eva returned to Prague and learned that she was the only surviving member of her family. Richard survived the war in England and they were soon reunited. Eva married Richard in 1945 and they had a son and a daughter, Vera Wiser. The Eva Mändlová Roubíčková papers include a diary, documents, and photographs relating to the wartime experiences of Eva Mändlová while imprisoned in Theresienstadt. The diary was written by Eva in Gabelsberger shorthand from 1943-1944 while in Theresienstadt. In her diary Eva writes about her family’s deportation, life in the ghetto, the fear of being transported, and her relationships and interactions with other people. The collection also includes a Red Cross telegram between Eva’s husband, Richard, and his mother, pamphlets notifying Eva’s family that they have to leave their home and what they could bring, and a letter from the Relief Committee of Jews stating that Eva received a food parcel. The collection also includes originals and photocopies of pre-war photographs of Eva, her friends, her parents, and a railroad worker, Karel Kosvanec, who supplied food to Eva while she was in Theresienstadt.