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World War II-Era Refugees and Displaced Persons

JDC worked with HICEM (the Jewish Overseas Emigration Association) to facilitate and finance the emigration of children without American relatives.

 Lisbon, Portugal, June 1941.

With the rise of Nazism, JDC spearheaded an intensive emigration effort, working to identify escape routes and safe havens. It helped refugees obtain visas and transport, provided assistance en route, and aided many once they reached their destinations. After the war, JDC successfully advocated for the creation of separate Jewish Displaced Persons camps in which JDC provided supplementary food and clothing, set up schools and vocational training programs, and supported the revival of Jewish learning and religious renewal. It then turned again to emigration assistance, helping to arrange for the survivors to begin new lives in Palestine, North and South America, Australia, and Western Europe.

Exhibit

Everything Possible: JDC and the Children of the DP Camps

Following World War II, JDC provided critical services to European Jews in the displaced persons (DP) camps established by the Allied Armed Forces. JDC placed special attention on the unique needs of the growing population of children in the camps.

Galleries
News and Articles
CARE Packages in Action

CARE Packages in Action

Stories Come to Life

Stories Come to Life

Through the Eyes of an Artist

Through the Eyes of an Artist

Book Review—More Than Parcels: Wartime Aid for Jews in Nazi-Era Camps and Ghettos

Book Review—More Than Parcels: Wartime Aid for Jews in Nazi-Era Camps and Ghettos

A Game of Chance

A Game of Chance

JDC at the Movies

JDC at the Movies

Giving Names to Faces

Giving Names to Faces

Lorena Cardona González Lectures on Jewish Refugees from Nazism in Colombia, 1945-1950

Lorena Cardona González Lectures on Jewish Refugees from Nazism in Colombia, 1945-1950

Sandra Gruner-Domić Lectures on Bolivia, a Forgotten Refuge During the Holocaust: Jewish Immigration 1937-1941

Sandra Gruner-Domić Lectures on Bolivia, a Forgotten Refuge During the Holocaust: Jewish Immigration 1937-1941

Book Review—The Compromise of Return: Viennese Jews after the Holocaust

Book Review—The Compromise of Return: Viennese Jews after the Holocaust

Morale-Boosting Tours: Launch of JDC’s Newest Virtual Exhibit on the Performing Arts

Morale-Boosting Tours: Launch of JDC’s Newest Virtual Exhibit on the Performing Arts

Recent Acquisitions

Recent Acquisitions

After the Final No Awarded Fifth JDC Archives Documentary Film Grant

After the Final No Awarded Fifth JDC Archives Documentary Film Grant

The Sailings of the S.S. Marine Flasher

The Sailings of the S.S. Marine Flasher

The Sridei Aish: Saved from the Consuming Fire

The Sridei Aish: Saved from the Consuming Fire

A Rhapsody for the Generations

A Rhapsody for the Generations

At Home in Feldafing

At Home in Feldafing

From Europe to Israel to Germany to Brazil

From Europe to Israel to Germany to Brazil

Alexandra Kramen Lectures on the Struggle for Holocaust Justice in the Jewish Displaced Persons Community of Föhrenwald, 1945-1957

Alexandra Kramen Lectures on the Struggle for Holocaust Justice in the Jewish Displaced Persons Community of Föhrenwald, 1945-1957

New Book—From Left to Right: Lucy S. Dawidowicz, the New York Intellectuals, and the Politics of Jewish History

New Book—From Left to Right: Lucy S. Dawidowicz, the New York Intellectuals, and the Politics of Jewish History

Overcoming Obstacles to Freedom

Overcoming Obstacles to Freedom

Distribution of Religious Items

Distribution of Religious Items

The Joint and the Casa Dello Studente

The Joint and the Casa Dello Studente

MyHeritage Adds JDC Emigration Service Card Records to Its Online Offerings

MyHeritage Adds JDC Emigration Service Card Records to Its Online Offerings

New Book—The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa: The Impact of World War II

New Book—The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa: The Impact of World War II

Finding a Friend and Family at a Critical Moment

Finding a Friend and Family at a Critical Moment

Sari Siegel Lectures on Jewish Survivor-Physicians in Transition: From DP Camp Doctors to Emigrants, 1945-1950

Sari Siegel Lectures on Jewish Survivor-Physicians in Transition: From DP Camp Doctors to Emigrants, 1945-1950

New Book—Hitler’s Jewish Refugees: Hope and Anxiety in Portugal

New Book—Hitler’s Jewish Refugees: Hope and Anxiety in Portugal

New Book—Tehran Children: A Holocaust Refugee Odyssey

New Book—Tehran Children: A Holocaust Refugee Odyssey

Finding a Familiar Face: Marc Chagall in the JDC Archives

Finding a Familiar Face: Marc Chagall in the JDC Archives

Lauren Henry Lectures on The JDC and the Jews of Alsace and Algeria, 1940-1963

Lauren Henry Lectures on The JDC and the Jews of Alsace and Algeria, 1940-1963

Rachel Blumenthal Lectures on Survivors, Locals, and Welfare Agencies in the Austrian Alps

Rachel Blumenthal Lectures on Survivors, Locals, and Welfare Agencies in the Austrian Alps

Ming Hui Pan Lectures on the Survival of Jews in China during World War II

Ming Hui Pan Lectures on the Survival of Jews in China during World War II

The St. Louis: 80 Years Later

The St. Louis: 80 Years Later

“Someone in the World Still Cared about Their Fate”

“Someone in the World Still Cared about Their Fate”

“A New Lens” on JDC’s Historic Films

“A New Lens” on JDC’s Historic Films

New Book on War Refugee Board

New Book on War Refugee Board

Rebecca Erbelding Gives First Helen Cohen Memorial Lecture on The US War Refugee Board and JDC

Rebecca Erbelding Gives First Helen Cohen Memorial Lecture on The US War Refugee Board and JDC

Finding a Long-Lost Relative after 77 Years

Finding a Long-Lost Relative after 77 Years

Danielle Willard-Kyle Lectures on Jewish Refugees and Humanitarian Aid in Italian Displaced Persons Camps

Danielle Willard-Kyle Lectures on Jewish Refugees and Humanitarian Aid in Italian Displaced Persons Camps

From JDC in Norway to JDC in New York

From JDC in Norway to JDC in New York

Laura Almagor Lectures on Jewish DPs in Austria and Koppel S. Pinson (1904-1961)

Laura Almagor Lectures on Jewish DPs in Austria and Koppel S. Pinson (1904-1961)

Panel on JDC’s Work in North Africa at 2018 Association for Jewish Studies Conference

Panel on JDC’s Work in North Africa at 2018 Association for Jewish Studies Conference

Gertrud Glanz’s Scrapbook from Shanghai

Gertrud Glanz’s Scrapbook from Shanghai

From Europe to the Farm

From Europe to the Farm

JDC Archives Showcased in Two Scholarly Publications

JDC Archives Showcased in Two Scholarly Publications

Badges of Honor

Badges of Honor

Rescue through Emigration in the Nazi Era

Rescue through Emigration in the Nazi Era

Lighting the Way

Lighting the Way

New Issue of Dorot Highlights JDC Names Indexing Projects

New Issue of Dorot Highlights JDC Names Indexing Projects

Luca Fenoglio Lectures on Rescue Activities in Italian-Occupied Southeastern France

Luca Fenoglio Lectures on Rescue Activities in Italian-Occupied Southeastern France

Cultivating Artists on Cyprus: The Rutenberg Seminar

Cultivating Artists on Cyprus: The Rutenberg Seminar

JDC Archives Awarded Preservation Funds for One of Its Rare Film Treasures

JDC Archives Awarded Preservation Funds for One of Its Rare Film Treasures

Finding Her “Joint Family” in the Archives

Finding Her “Joint Family” in the Archives

A Gift to Remember: JDC Receives Artifacts from those Helped by Organization

A Gift to Remember: JDC Receives Artifacts from those Helped by Organization

Uta Larkey Lectures on Post-Holocaust Interviews and Testimonies

Uta Larkey Lectures on Post-Holocaust Interviews and Testimonies

Second Generation Holocaust Survivor Discovers Father’s DP Camp Soccer League Was Sponsored by JDC

Second Generation Holocaust Survivor Discovers Father’s DP Camp Soccer League Was Sponsored by JDC

Medals of Honor

Medals of Honor

JDC and the War Refugee Board

JDC and the War Refugee Board

Miranda Carson Shares Her JDC Story

Miranda Carson Shares Her JDC Story

Andrew Falk Lectures on American Jewish Foreign Policy in the Era of World Wars

Andrew Falk Lectures on American Jewish Foreign Policy in the Era of World Wars

JDC Archives Fellow Lectures on Holocaust Survivors and “the Right to Health”

JDC Archives Fellow Lectures on Holocaust Survivors and “the Right to Health”

JDC Participates in OSE Centennial Conference

JDC Participates in OSE Centennial Conference

“Conditions Terrifying Utterly Hopeless”: A 1933 Telegram

“Conditions Terrifying Utterly Hopeless”: A 1933 Telegram

All JDC Records from Post-World War II Period Digitized

All JDC Records from Post-World War II Period Digitized

Harry Kamel: A Story of Gratitude

Harry Kamel: A Story of Gratitude

New Book Published on the American Jewish Presence in Post-World War II France

New Book Published on the American Jewish Presence in Post-World War II France

A Symbol for the Continuity of Jewish Life

A Symbol for the Continuity of Jewish Life

The 1948 JDC Haggadah

The 1948 JDC Haggadah

Masters Thesis Highlights Four JDC Heroines

Masters Thesis Highlights Four JDC Heroines

Explore JDC’s Extensive Photo Resources

Explore JDC’s Extensive Photo Resources

Collection of 40,000 Deposit Cards from the World War II Era Features Albert Einstein Record

Collection of 40,000 Deposit Cards from the World War II Era Features Albert Einstein Record

JDC Records from Post-WWII Period Now Accessible Online

JDC Records from Post-WWII Period Now Accessible Online

A Timely Seder

A Timely Seder

Symbol of Freedom: Seder Plate Distributed in Displaced Persons Camps

Symbol of Freedom: Seder Plate Distributed in Displaced Persons Camps

Ilie Wacs and Deborah Strobin to Discuss Shanghai Ghetto and JDC Assistance at 92nd St Y

Ilie Wacs and Deborah Strobin to Discuss Shanghai Ghetto and JDC Assistance at 92nd St Y

JDC World War II-Era Records Now Available Online

JDC World War II-Era Records Now Available Online

As Jews Today Celebrate the Siyum HaShas, Remembering the Publication of the “JDC Talmud”

As Jews Today Celebrate the Siyum HaShas, Remembering the Publication of the “JDC Talmud”

Award-Winning Author Features JDC Archives

Award-Winning Author Features JDC Archives

JDC Heroine Featured in Magazine Cover Story

JDC Heroine Featured in Magazine Cover Story

A Silent Yizkor

A Silent Yizkor

Refuge in Jamaica

Refuge in Jamaica