Ela Stein Weissberger

Ela Weissberger, a survivor of the Holocaust, played the role of “the Cat” in all 55 performances of Brundibar at the Nazi concentration camp Theresienstadt.

When she was 8 years old, her family left the Sudetenland  on the Czech-German border for the safety of Prague. In 1938 her father was arrested. She never saw him again.

Ela was 11 when she arrived at Theresienstadt in February 1942. Only four members of her family survived.

Now living in New York, she has made it her mission to travel to performances of Brundibar to tell the audiences about its history and her experiences. She is co-author o f the book, “The Cat With the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin”.

Return to Previous Page.