Bensheim

Located approximately thirty miles from Frankfurt, Bensheim DP camp was part of the Frankfurt district of the American zone of occupation in Germany. Before its conversion into a Jewish DP camp in August 1946, Bensheim had been used as a refugee camp for non-Jewish Polish DPs. The camp supported a thriving religious educational system that included a cheder (traditional religious school for young children)and a yeshiva (religious academy), which were operated by the Klausenberger chasidim. Bensheim also maintained a Talmud Torah (religious elementary school), a synagogue, a 30-bed hospital, a sports club, a theater group, and, beginning in April 1947, a kindergarten. In October 1946, the Jewish population totaled 1,196. Bensheim closed on April 6, 1949.