Displaced Persons Camps

As World War II drew to a close, JDC marshalled its forces to meet a crisis of staggering proportions, racing to ensure that tens of thousands of newly liberated Jews would survive to enjoy the fruits of freedom. By late 1945, some 75,000 Jewish survivors of the Nazi horrors had crowded into the displaced-persons (DP) camps that were hastily set up in Germany, Austria, and Italy. Conditions were abominable, with many subjected to anti-Semitism and hostile treatment.

At Home in Feldafing

From the Collections

Family photos from the Feldafing DP camp By late 1945, some 75,000 Jewish survivors of the Nazi horrors had crowded into the displaced persons (DP) camps that were hastily set up in Germany, Austria, and Italy. Conditions were abominable, with many subjected to...

A JDC Archives Fellow Discusses Her Research on Jewish Life in 1950s Poland

For Researchers

Interview with Frankee Lyons Frankee Lyons was the 2020-2021 Nathan & Sarah Chesin/JDC Archives Fellow. Her research in the JDC Archives focused on the Joint’s operations in Poland during the time of migration and political change from 1957 through the mid-1960s...

Vast New York 1975-1989 Collection Now Digitized

For Researchers

The JDC Archives is pleased to announce that its New York 1975-1989 Collection, which documents JDC’s global humanitarian activities over a sprawling 15-year period, is now available to researchers for the first time. This vast collection details JDC’s global relief,...

A Major Expansion of the JDC Archives Names Index: Transmigrant Case File Index

News

Soviet and other émigrés assisted by JDC The JDC Archives has embarked on a major new indexing project, the first portion of which is now available online for family researchers. The project will create a complete index of transmigrant case files from the JDC offices...

A Snapshot of Coming to America

My Story

Audrey S. J. shares her grandfather and great-aunt's story through a JDC Archives photo. My grandfather was a family man. He loved his family dearly and showed it through all he did. There was always an air of mystery to him, though. There were things about his past...

Backdrop to Rescue

From the Collections

JDC banner witnessed historic Sarajevo evacuation After the outbreak of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in April 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina seceded from Yugoslavia. The Sarajevo Jewish community appealed to JDC to organize an immediate evacuation, and JDC responded....

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Young people being shown how to transplant seedlings in a JDC sponsored training class at the Bergen-Belsen DP camp.

The care of orphaned children became a top priority for JDC. These Polish orphans came via Czechoslovakia to a transient camp in Vienna. After their immediate need for rest, food, clothing, and medical attention was addressed, orphans were sent to JDC children’s homes in France, Switzerland, England, and other countries when possible. Others were placed in separate children’s sections of the DP camps. Austria, c. 1946.

At a JDC-sponsored medical dispensary in Munich, children were inoculated against contagious diseases--a vital part of the health program. Germany, c. 1949.

These young boys received religious instruction at the yeshiva in Wels camp. Rabbis and teachers instructing the Jewish youngsters received special compensation from JDC. Austria, c. 1948.

During the war, Babenhausen was a crude barracks used to hold prisoners. The first Jews arriving there, in late September 1946, still faced deplorable conditions. JDC representatives met them with supplementary food and clothing and immediately began efforts to obtain better lodgings for the winter, especially for families with small children. By the time this Polish mother and her children arrived, a substantial community with several schools had been established. Germany, c. 1947.

In Vienna, too, a seemingly endless flood of Jewish survivors from Poland, then Romania, streamed in from Eastern Europe, overloading the established camps. JDC helped transform the dilapidated Rothschild Hospital into a makeshift camp and lobbied UNRRA to absorb it into the DP camp network. Normally housing 600, every inch of space was used to make room for the thousands of refugees heading towards the more permanent camps in Austria or Germany. Austria, c. 1947.

Students in Riedenburg camp's Hebrew School studied the "Shema" prayer, Austria, c. 1947, Jan Breit.

By September 1945, JDC had been given official sanction to aid in the DP camps, and its teams had begun to arrive. In Bamberg, JDC’s headquarters were noted on the U.S. Army camp sign. Germany, c. 1946, Al Taylor.

Foehrenwald had been one of the best-run. It became the last to close, functioning until 1957 as a home for those with no place to go. JDC maintained a presence there until 1954, helping residents financially until the end, but camp oversight was transferred to the German government by the end of 1951. Germany, c. 1951, Al Taylor.

Two refugees born in flight from Poland were held by their proud fathers in Vienna. At all stages of their journey, they received JDC assistance. Their well-being would be looked after in the more stable environment of a "permanent" camp, with supplementary food, medical and child care services provided by JDC. Austria, c. 1946.

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