Hana Trávová

Hana Trávová, née Zentnerová, was born September 10, 1925 in Bor u Tachova in a Jewish family. Czech language was spoken at home. In the early 1930s the whole family moved to Prague when her father changed jobs. Hana was a talented athlete since her early childhood, she attended Sokol trainings and she played handball. After the expulsion of Jewish children from schools, she took a retraining course for kindergarten teachers organized by the Jewish community in Prague and she also attended courses for teachers of physical training and sports. From 1940 onwards she was working with Fredy Hirsch on a sports program for Jewish children in Hagibor in Prague. In November 1942 she was deported to the Terezín ghetto with her parents and her younger brother. Hana continued with her sports activities in Terezín under the department for youth and she took part in cultural events which were organized in the ghetto. In September 1944 their father was transported to Auschwitz, and her mother and younger brother followed him on October 28, 1944. Hana remained in Terezín until the liberation of the ghetto. Nor her parents nor her brother have returned from Auschwitz. After the liberation Hana returned to Prague, she completed her secondary education and later she graduated from physical education at the Pedagogical Faculty and from history at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University. She worked as a sports teacher at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and also as a tour guide. Mrs. Hana Trávová has three daughters and several grandchildren. She lives in Prague and she is a member of the Terezín Initiative.

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