Displaced Persons Camp
Sasha Thomas
What were displaced persons camps? How did they help many refugees re-assimilate into society?
The Basics
2. When: 1945-1952
3. What: Temporary facilities for people forced to leave homes. Jews would begin to recreate their life in their cultural and spiritual ways and try to find their families again.
4. Where: Germany, Austria, and Italy and other European countries.
5. Why: To help Jews ease into society once more
She'erit ha-Pletah
Children and Schooling
Medical Help and Health State:
Social and Occupational Organizations were created:
What did they do in the camps:
Who did this:
11. The Allied Armed Forces with help from the US, the United Nations Relief and the International Refugee Association.
Religion in the Camps:
12. Religious schools were created in several of the DP camps. Religious Holidays became major celebrations and Jewish volunteering agencies gave religious articles for everyday and holiday use.
Jews lived in several parts of the World after living in the DP Camps:
13. While several of Western European Jews returned back to their homes, many Eastern European Jews left Europe all together. When some did return back, they found that all their possessions were stolen, and their houses ruined. The non-Jewish citizens of the Easter European countries were cruel and merciless.
Problems in the Camp
Problem Number 1
14. Problem: In the beginning, the camps were small and poorly supplied. Survivors often found themselves with their Nazi Jailors and would be often diagnosed with major psychological problems.
Solution: The Jewish displaced persons were then labeled as a special group. They were put in different camps and given some power to manage their affairs themselves. Many camps would elect committees that would manage sanitation and hygiene, cultural and religious activities, and education.
Problem(s) Number 2
15. Problem: Zionism was a major deal for the Jewish. Zionism is the movement to return to the Jewish homeland (British controlled Palestine). The Jewish survivors, with few other choices, chose Palestine as their number 1 destination to go and live.
Problem: Emigrations was a topic that the Allies procrastinated and waited till the last moment to fix. While the Allies wanted to send back the surviving Jews to their homes, the Jews did not want to, or felt that they were not able to. President Truman recommended mass population transfer to the US (widows and children given priority) and Palestine. However, Great Britain refused to allow the Americans to dictate what to do.
Solutions to both Problems: Truman pressured the British to pass an act for the admission of 100,000 DP to Israel. Even though Britain rejected the report, it strengthened the resolve for the Jews to reach their land. When the Jews would illegally immigrate into Palestine, the British would stop them and attack their ships. Well known attacks attracted the World and strengthened support for the DP’s to immigrate. Congress then passed the Displaced Persons Act which allowed Jews to emigrate to the US with help. With over 80,000 Jews in America, 136,000 in Palestine, and 20,000 in other countries, the need for DP camps came to an end.
Night
In connection to Night, the Displaced Persons Camp isn't talked about. However, it is assumed that perhaps Elie Wiesel, the author, or several of the other inmates at the same camp, were placed in the DP camps to slowly re-enter society. It is said toward the end that Elie Wiesel grew sick due to poisoning, after the camps were liberated: he might have placed in a hospital in a Displaced Persons Camp or near one. The Jewish survivors normally would be placed in these camps in Germany, which is where Wiesel's last camp was located.
Holocaust
The Holocaust refers to a period from the time that Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany. The period ended on May 8, 1945.