Where the Jewish DP population lived
Jewish DP camps and communities were concentrated especially in the American zones of Germany and Austria, with others in Italy and elsewhere. At the end of 1946, the Jewish DP population was estimated at about 250,000: approximately 185,000 in Germany, 45,000 in Austria and 20,000 in Italy.
More than temporary shelter
The camps were places of waiting, but they also became centers of social and political life. Survivors established committees, schools, religious institutions, newspapers, theaters, sports clubs and vocational programs. Marriages and births were common features of a community trying to rebuild after catastrophic loss.
Searching for relatives
Finding surviving family members was one of the most urgent tasks. Survivors consulted lists, tracing services, notices, photographs and aid organizations. Missing-person searches could continue for years, and the absence of a name from one surviving record did not prove that a person had died or survived.
Politics and emigration
Many Jewish DPs wanted to leave Europe. A large number sought to reach Mandatory Palestine, while others hoped to immigrate to the United States, Canada, Australia or elsewhere. Zionist groups were active in the camps, but survivors did not all share the same political views or destination plans.
Leaving the camps
The establishment of Israel in 1948 and changes in immigration laws, including the United States Displaced Persons Act, opened new routes out of the camps. The DP period was temporary, but the communities formed there became an important chapter in survivor history and in the reconstruction of Jewish life after the Holocaust.
Related topics
Brihah
Aliyah Bet
Survivors Returning Home
Key sources
This page draws on the institutional sources listed below.
- USHMM — Effects and Aftermath of the Holocaust
- USHMM — Major Camps for Jewish Displaced Persons, 1945–1946
- USHMM — The Survivors
- Arolsen Archives — Online Archive