At least 20 of Jehovah’s Witnesses, from Prague, Pilsen, and other parts of the country, were imprisoned in the Small Fortress. Their crime? Refusing to support the Nazis and maintaining their political neutrality. Despite the ban on their preaching work, the Witnesses continued to share with others the good news from the Bible. They suffered only because of their faith, some being executed or tortured to death.

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JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES IN THE SMALL FORTRESS

Most of Jehovah’s Witnesses incarcerated in Theresienstadt were first interrogated at the Prague headquarters of the Gestapo. After Theresienstadt, they were usually sent to concentration camps in Germany. How did they cope not only with harsh prison conditions but also with isolation?

A Witness woman who was imprisoned in Theresienstadt recalls: “Because I did not want to forget Bible teachings, I went over them again and again. In every prison where I was transferred, I searched for other Witnesses; and if I found them, I tried to contact them. At the same time, I made an effort to preach to others as much as circumstances permitted.”

Her approach evidently worked. She remained faithful to God throughout the time of her imprisonment as well as through the years that followed.