Top

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.

From the Midwest to the Mid-East

From the Midwest to the Mid-East

My Story

A recollection of JDC and The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work In October 2021, Ellen Samuels Tuyahov sent a check to JDC. In her accompanying letter, Ellen wrote: In 1959 when I was 15 years old our family moved to Jerusalem for two years. My father was Julius...

read more
Recent Acquisitions

Recent Acquisitions

From the Collections

New photographs and ephemera added to JDC’s archival holdings The JDC Archives is excited to share some notable new acquisitions to its historical collections received during the pandemic. Rachele Aruch with her parents Beppo Aruch and Hanka Secemski in Feldafing DP...

read more
Related items from our collections
Find more in our database
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.

Explore More

JDC Archives Accepting Applications for 2024 Fellowships

JDC Archives Accepting Applications for 2024 Fellowships

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Archives is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for its 2024 fellowship program. In 2024, three to six fellowships will be awarded to senior scholars, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students,...

Israel and JDC: In the Words of Ralph Goldman

Israel and JDC: In the Words of Ralph Goldman

In 1998, on the occasion of Israel’s 50th anniversary, Ralph Goldman, JDC’s Honorary Executive-Vice President, spoke to the JDC-Israel Newsletter about JDC’s contribution to the establishment of the State of Israel and about Israel’s place in JDC’s view of the world....