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The Aftermath: Life After the Holocaust

Marisa MeleroJulia WinfieldSarah HadburgGerman 89HC10 March 2010

Displaced Persons Camps

Displaced Persons Camps• From 1945 to 1952, more than 250,000 DPs

(displaced persons) lived in camps and urban centers in Germany, Austria and Italy

• Administered by Allied authorit ies and the UnitedNations Relief and Rehabilitat ion Administrat ion

• Many concerns facing Jewish DPs were the problems of daily life

Displaced Persons Camps• The camps were former concentrat ion camps and

German army camps• Wildflecken: DPs had to ask permission for

everything• Many difficult ies trying to adapt to normal life after the camps

Displaced Persons Camps• All didn’ t have dreadful

condit ions• DP camps were

transformed into cultural and social centers

• Almost all of the DP camps were closed by 1952

• Jewish displaced persons began new lives in their new homelands around the world.

Emigration

Emigration• many DPs did want to return to their home

countries• most survivors moved westward, towards

Allied territory• organizations like the Central Zionist

movement took advantage of the general disorganization in Europe to move people

“ I h a d n o p a p e rs …th e A m e ric a J o in t D is trib u tio n C o m m itte e b a s ic a lly s m u g g le d m e o u t in D e c e m b e r o f 1 9 4 6 , fro m P o la n d to C z e c h o s lo v a k ia , C ze c h o s lo v a k ia to th e A m e ric a n zo n e , a n d th e n th e A m e ric a n z o n e to th e B ritis h z o n e in G e rm a n y ” - Th o m a s B u e rg e n th a l (U n ite d S ta te s H o lo c a u s t M e m o ria l M u s e u m )

Emigration• Britain rejected a plan

to allow 100,000 Jews into Palestine

• the Brihah movement smuggled 100,000 Jews past Brit ish patrols and into Palestine

• Great Britain captured many ships and detained them on the island of Cyprus; 50,000 refugees

Emigration• most famous case: the “Exodus 1947”• 4,500 refugees• got lots of publicity; gained suppor t for

the survivors’ plight

Emigration• 1948: the United Nations announced

the formation of the state of Israel• the United States Congress passed the

Displaced Persons Act of 1948, allowing 200,000 DPs to enter the United States

• 80,000 Jews emigrated to the U.S., 136,000 to Israel, and 20,000 to other nations, including Canada (157,000), and Argentina (33,000)

Family

C e le b ra t io n o f the B irth o f the 1 0 0 0 th B a b y in the DP C a m p, B e rg e n B e ls e n, 1 9 4 8

Rebuilding the Family Unit• many survivors were willing and

anxious to begin a new life once the war had ended

• Marriage rates were high in DP camps, followed by extraordinarily high rates of childbir th

• Many survivors were in need of love and int imacy after experiencing the Holocaust

The Search for Family and Loved Ones Lost

• Immediately after the war, it was difficult for survivors to locate relat ives and loved ones

• Some returned to their hometowns in search of those with whom they had lost touch

• Many survivors are st ill searching.

Marriage and the Reestablishment of Family in

DP Camps• Extremely high rates of marriage in DP

camps, especially in 1946• Fueled by the individual’s need for warmth,

love, and the desire to continue the family line

• DP Camp at Bergen Belsen:– In 1946 alone, 1,070 marriages took placeJ e w is h Ma rria g e L ic e ns e , B e rg e n

B e ls e n DP C a m p, G e rm a ny, P o s tw a r

Motherhood in DP Camps• In 1946-1948, th e h ig h e s t b irth ra te in th e

w o rld was that in the DP camps. • In the American-occupied zone in Germany

(1946):– There were 120 children under 5 yrs old in Jan

1946– By September 1946 (8 months later), there

were 4,430.• Bergen Belsen DP Camp:

– After the first few months of liberat ion, 2,000 children were born in the camp

Building a Family in DP Camps

• Difficult ies:– DP camps were not conducive to raising a family

or caring for children. – Difficult to maintain cleanliness or proper

nutrit ional regimens– Lack of a solid education system, very few

intellectuals in DP camps• Benefits:

– Provided an intimate suppor t system for survivors

– Survivors could show the Nazis that they had n o t been exterminated.