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Displaced Persons — Oral History

Fela Warschau
Born: 1926

Describes the Feldafing displaced persons camp [Interview: 1995]

Transcript:

People in Feldafing were from all over Europe. It wasn't only from Poland. We had Hungarian Jews, Rumanian Jews, Czech Jews, and also Greek Jews in this camp. Everyone just walking around and trying to mingle and find someone. Like I said, we never did. But what the Americans also did, is organize art schools. They brought in films. They brought in, um, organized our people, the survivors that were musicians and also traveling from other camps. They were giving concerts, and believe it or not, even dances for those that were well enough to attend all this. And also a Jewish...our own police force, to police that it would be safe, you know, from other intruders. They kept us busy. But the problem was, there was no future in being there. Where do we go from there?

People in Feldafing were from all over Europe. It wasn't only from Poland. We had Hungarian Jews, Rumanian Jews, Czech Jews, and also Greek Jews in this camp. Everyone just walking around and trying to mingle and find someone. Like I said, we never did. But what the Americans also did, is organize art schools. They brought in films. They brought in, um, organized our people, the survivors that were musicians and also traveling from other camps. They were giving concerts, and believe it or not, even dances for those that were well enough to attend all this. And also a Jewish...our own police force, to police that it would be safe, you know, from other intruders. They kept us busy. But the problem was, there was no future in being there. Where do we go from there?

Fela was liberated at Bergen-Belsen by the British army in 1945. She went to a displaced persons (DP) camp administered by the Americans in Feldafing, near Munich. She married in the DP camp in 1946, and eventually emigrated to the United States.

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