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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.

Exploring the Lists in the Names Index

Exploring the Lists in the Names Index

For Researchers

A tool for family researchers What is included in the JDC Archives Names Index? Can I browse an entire list of a ship’s passengers or refugees receiving aid? The answer to these common questions and more can be found by consulting the Lists in the Names Index page of...

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Snapshots of a Forgotten World

Snapshots of a Forgotten World

From the Collections

Photo album from JDC-supported orphanage offers insider view of daily life in interwar Poland Because the artifacts and ephemera of the JDC Archives are intertwined with JDC history, they naturally also comment on Jewish history at large. Such is the case with a photo...

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A Tale from Australia

A Tale from Australia

My Story

Reconnecting to JDC through the Archives Tens of thousands of Jewish refugees settled in Australia in the decade following World War II, many of whom received emigration assistance provided by JDC. In conjunction with the local Australian Jewish community, the JDC...

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“They Gave Us Money to Live”

“They Gave Us Money to Live”

My Story

A voice from the past recounts JDC assistance “In truth, I wouldn’t be here talking to you, wouldn’t simply be living my life or have my children and grandchildren, or the precious legacy I’m showing you without the help of the Joint.” —Marjorie Feinstein Every...

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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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Giving Names to Faces

Giving Names to Faces

Individuals identified in JDC photos reveal personal stories Imagine the excitement of scanning photographs from a distant place and time and seeing your own face or that of a loved one. When Arturo Buchmann, now in New Jersey, saw photograph after photograph...

JDC Archives Announces Completion of New Oral History Project

JDC Archives Announces Completion of New Oral History Project

JDC Archives is delighted to announce the completion of the 2021-2022 JDC Archives Oral History Project. The project includes interviews with 18 former JDC senior staff members with rich histories of service from the 1970s through the early 2000s. These interviews...

2022 JDC Archives Fellows Announced

2022 JDC Archives Fellows Announced

Supporting cutting-edge research in the JDC Archives. The JDC Archives is pleased to announce that it has awarded seven new fellowships for 2022. JDC Archives Fellowships are awarded each year to deserving scholars engaged in graduate level, post-doctoral, or...