Suggested Reading List
PUBLISHED BOOKS
Bauer, Yehuda. Flight and Rescue: Bricha. New York: Random House, 1970. D820 .P72 J4 B373 1970
Flight and Rescue documents the illegal migration of Jewish DPs to Palestine. Bauer uses Israeli records and personal accounts to relay the movement's history. The book describes the smuggling of survivors into Palestine and their clash with occupying forces. Bauer also discusses the DPs' assistance in the birth of the State of Israel.
Bauer, Yehuda. Out of the Ashes. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1989.
This book discusses the impact of American Jews on Jewish Holocaust survivors. Bauer begins with the details of liberation in Eastern and Western Europe and describes the creation of DP camps in 1945 and 1946, as well as the pivotal roles that the UNRRA and the JDC played. Out of the Ashes deals with interagency problems, the migration of survivors, and the JDC's specific role with starving DPs in Hungary and Romania. Bauer also discusses DP camps in Germany and Austria in 1947, as well as the disbanding of the camps and the future that awaited survivors.
Bloch, Sam E., ed. Holocaust and Rebirth: Bergen-Belsen 1945-1965. New York: Bergen-Belsen Memorial Press, 1965.
Using pictures, fliers, and posters of the era, this book provides the history of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp from liberation through its time as a DP camp. Many of the photographs depict the rebirth of the survivors, as well as the educational and cultural programs that developed in the DP camp. Many of the pictures also show the Zionist demonstrations that took place in Bergen-Belsen, and the survivors' eventual immigration to Israel. (English, Yiddish, and Hebrew)
Brenner, Michael. After the Holocaust: Rebuilding Jewish Lives in Postwar Germany. Princeton University Press, 1997. DS135 .G33 B7513 1997
Brenner's comprehensive account about Jews who remained in Germany after the war emphasizes the tension between Jews and their former oppressors. The work analyzes the tasks that Jews faced in overcoming recent horrors as they began to rebuild their lives in DP camps. The psychological, spiritual, and material challenges that confronted Jewish DPs receive particular consideration. The second half of the work collects numerous primary accounts from those who had active roles in the rebirth of Jewish culture, and it closes by briefly studying the position of Jews in contemporary German society.
Dinnerstein, Leonard. America and the Survivors of the Holocaust. Columbia University Press, 1982. D809 .U5 D566 1982
This book-a thorough study of American political involvement in the DP issue-closely examines how the American political climate immediately following World War II affected legislation and policy regarding DPs. Through government documents, statistical analysis, and primary sources, Dinnerstein creates a detailed picture of how different special interest groups-some attempting to bring DPs to America and others attempting to prevent their immigration-shaped the country's policy toward DPs. In addition, the book explores how the U.S. government interacted with other nations in its attempts to relocate the DPs and resolve the Zionist demands of many Jewish DPs. Dinnerstein also includes a useful statistical appendix and complete copies of several historical documents, including the Harrison Report.
Giere, Jacqueline, and Rachel Salamander. Ein Leben aufs neu: das Robinson-Album: DP-Lager, Juden auf deutschem Boden 1945-1948. Vienna: Christian Brandstätter, 1995. DS135 .G332 L38 1995.
Eighty photographs from Ephraim Robinson's remarkable album of DP camp life comprise the bulk of this work, which also includes introductory essays by Rachel Salamander, Jacqueline Giere, and Genya Markon. This recently discovered collection captures the vitality of the DP era in poignant photos that are catalogued into five basic categories dealing with the lives of the DPs-particularly their political, social, and cultural activities. An appendix includes a copy of the original album as well as a map and list of DP facilities. (German)
Grobman, Alex. Rekindling the Flame: American Jewish Chaplains and the Survivors of European Jewry, 1944–1948. Wayne State University Press, 1993.
Account of the roles and activities of American Jewish chaplains in the DP camps, with special emphasis on the months following the end of the war and the impact of the Harrison Report.
Heymont, Irving. Among the Survivors-The Landsberg DP Camp Letters of Major Irving Heymont, United States Army. Cincinnati: American Jewish Archives, 1982. D820 .P72 J4 H48 1982
This compilation of 34 letters written by Heymont to his wife in the United States between September 19 and December 6, 1945, recounts the events at Landsberg DP camp as seen by the American-Jewish officer in command. While primarily attempting to describe the refugees' anxieties, Heymont also weighs the broader policies of the U.S. Army's governance of the camp's day-to-day administration. The letters express Heymont's delight over his successes in the camp as well as his frustrations. Though sympathetic to the plight of the DPs, Heymont's letters also express criticism of several negative facets of the DPs' behavior.
Hilliard, Robert L. Surviving the Americans, the Continued Struggle of the Jews after Liberation. New York: Seven Stories Press, 1997.
This is Hilliard's own personal memoir of the time he spent as a soldier in the St. Ottilen DP camp. It deals with life in the camp, and politics and their effect on those inside the camp. As a witness to the horrors that the Jews suffered, and the way in which they regained their strength and moved on, Hilliard's account gives compelling insight into the rebirth and renewal of the DPs.
Hyman, Abraham S. The Undefeated. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 1993. D820 .P72 J4 H96 1993
Written by a judge in the U.S. Army who eventually became Acting Advisor on Jewish Affairs at Army Headquarters, this text provides extensive information about DPs. Examples include the logistics of the DP issue for the incoming armies in 1945, as well as a military perspective on the return of the Exodus 1947. Hyman further analyzes surges in DP demographics after the influx of Polish and Romanian DPs in 1946 and 1947. The book also contains information on the renewal of life in the camps with an emphasis on the emergence of cultural life and plans for immigration to Palestine.
Nadich, Judah. Eisenhower and the Jews. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1953. D809 .U5 N346 1953
Written by an American Army chaplain who served as the first Advisor on Jewish Affairs to General Eisenhower, this book studies the relationship between the General and the Jews, giving particular attention to the DP era. Published during Eisenhower's presidency, the book reflects a positive appraisal of Eisenhower's activities in Europe. Nadich takes historical reports and policies into account to describe Eisenhower's visits to concentration camps and DP camps as well as the General's later evaluations of them. Other topics include Eisenhower's meetings with Jewish leaders, including David Ben-Gurion.
Reilly, Joanne, David Cesarini, Tony Kushner, and Colin Richmond, eds. Belsen in History and Memory. Portland, OR: Frank Cass, 1997. D805.5 .B47 B45 1997
This text traces the history of the Bergen-Belsen camp from the Nazi era to liberation and its eventual conversion into the DP camp that became the center of Jewish religious and political life in the British zone. The book also portrays the roles that women played in liberation as well as the treatment of other individuals during the liberation process. The work concludes with testimonies from Bergen-Belsen inmates and liberators.
Reilly, Joanne. Belsen: The Liberation of a Concentration Camp. London and New York: Routledge, 1998.
Using Bergen-Belsen as a paradigm, Reilly discusses British responses to the Holocaust and how they were affected by British internal and Middle Eastern politics during the postwar period. The book also examines the Anglo-Jewish response as well as relief efforts and rehabilitation of Jewish DPs. Reilly gives an overall view of the issues facing liberated Jewish survivors in the former Belsen concentration camp-a camp that witnessed a rebirth of Jewish culture and national sentiment.
Schwarz, Leo W. The Redeemers: A Saga of the Years 1945-1952. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Young, 1953.
This is the story of the DPs in Germany and their search for a new home and life. The book describes how survivors-through faith and determination-changed the course of history by helping to create the State of Israel. Schwarz also discusses how the survivors reorganized their lives and culture in the camps and began life anew in other nations around the world.
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency. Summary of Displaced Persons Population: UNRRA Assembly Centers in the United States Zone 24 August 1946. Statistics and Reports Branch, UNRRA Headquarters, U.S. Zone. Ref D809 .G3 S86 1946
This text is a copy of the statistical UNRRA report on the DP camps administered by that relief agency. In graph form, the report provides primary data about many features of DP camp management, including DP population figures, relief team numbers, camp locations, assembly center numbers, camp names and capacities, and the precise dates that information was recorded in August 1946. The statistics also chart the DP population by ethnicity.
Wyman, Mark. DP: Europe's Displaced Persons. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1998. D820 .P72 J4 W85 1988
In this thorough examination of life in both the Jewish and non-Jewish DP camps, Wyman explores topics ranging from education to furniture. He cites historical documents and primary depictions of the DP camps to give a complete history of the daily activities and concerns of DP camp residents. Illuminating interviews with former DP camp residents create a vivid portrait of camp life, and the book offers a broad introduction to the general DP camp experience.
Articles*
Published 1945-52
Bernstein, David. "Europe's Jews: Summer 1947." Commentary 4 (1947): 101-09.
Friedman, Paul. "The Road Back for DPs." Commentary 6 (December 1948): 502-10.
Genęt. "Letter from Aschaffenburg." New Yorker 24 (30 October 1948): 86-91.
Gringauz, Samuel. "Jewish Destiny as the DPs See It." Commentary 4 (1947): 501-09.
"The Harrison Report." The Department of State Bulletin 13 (30 September 1945): 456-63.
Pinson, Koppel S. "Jewish Life in Liberated Germany: A Study of the Jewish DPs." Jewish Social Studies 9 (1947): 101-26.
Published 1953-Present
Baumel, Judith Tydor. "Kibbutz Buchenwald and Kibbutz Hafetz Hayyim: Two Experiments in the Rehabilitation of Jewish Survivors in Germany." Holocaust and Genocide Studies 9 (1995): 231-49.
Benz, Wolfgang. "Germans, Jews and Anti-Semitism in Germany After 1945." Journal of Politics and History 41 (1995): 118-29.
Dawidowicz, Lucy. "Belsen Remembered." The Jewish Presence (1997): 289-97.
Lavsky, Hagit. "British Jewry and the Jews in Post Holocaust Germany: The Jewish Relief Unit, 1945-50." Journal of Holocaust Education 4 (1995): 29-40.
Peck, Abraham J. "The Displaced." Dimensions 9 (1995): 11-14.
Webster, Ronald. "American Relief and Jews in Germany, 1945-60." Diverging Perspectives-Leo Baeck Institute Yearbook 38 (1993): 293-321.
*Many articles can be found in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Library or among the holdings of most major libraries. Reprints of the Harrison Report can be found in Leonard Dinnerstein's America and the Survivors of the Holocaust.
