Organizers: The Diana and Eli Zborowski Center for the Study of the Aftermath of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem; the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM); and the NYU Center for the Study of Antisemitism
Workshop Overview
Yehuda Bauer’s seminal study The Bricha (1974) laid the foundations for the scholarly study of the postwar mass movement of Jewish survivors across Europe. This workshop invites scholars to extend this research further and explore the history, significance, and legacy of the Bricha (“Escape”) movement and the broader experiences of Jewish displacement and migration in postwar Europe.
Following the liberation of Nazi concentration, labor, and extermination camps in 1944–45, and the return of many who had sought refuge in the Soviet Union, hundreds of thousands of Holocaust survivors faced the loss of families, homes, and communities. Confronted with antisemitism, political instability, and restrictive immigration policies, many sought to leave Europe in search of safety, dignity, and the possibility of rebuilding their lives elsewhere.
The Bricha movement emerged as a transnational social network that organized and facilitated the movement of Jewish survivors across borders, through displaced persons camps, and toward ports of embarkation in order to reach Mandatory Palestine. Not all of the survivors who joined the Bricha intended to reach the Land of Israel. Although Mandatory Palestine became the principal destination for many, the movement also assisted survivors who sought to reach North America, Latin America, Western Europe, and other destinations. Operating under difficult political and logistical conditions, Brichaactivists created escape routes from Eastern Europe and played a central role in shaping postwar Jewish migration. The movement was led primarily by Holocaust survivors, including former members of resistance movements, partisans, and ghetto fighters, working together with emissaries from the Yishuv, the Jewish Brigade, Allied military personnel, Jewish chaplains, and international Jewish relief organizations such as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Locally, their work was supported by Jewish communities and non-Jewish humanitarian organizations. Scholars vary in their estimations, but the movement involved hundreds of thousands of people.
While much of the scholarly literature has focused on the Bricha and its connections to Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel, recent scholarship has broadened our understanding of the Bricha as a complex transnational social, political, and humanitarian network that shaped the experiences of Jewish survivors in the aftermath of the Holocaust. This workshop seeks to build on these developments by examining the Bricha movement through a wide range of historical, social, cultural, political, and comparative perspectives. In particular, it aims to explore the lived experiences and diverse motivations of those who participated in the movement, as well as its place within the broader history of postwar reconstruction, Jewish displacement, and migration in Europe and beyond.
Topics of Interest
We welcome papers addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
The origins, organization, and operations of the Bricha movement
Zionist youth movements and postwar migration networks
Border crossings, clandestine migration, and refugee mobility
The impact of antisemitism and postwar violence on migration plans
The role of Jewish partisan groups and resistance leaders in the Bricha movement
Social history of the Bricha and its participants
Survivors’ personal immigration plans and preferences
Impact of the Bricha on the Jewish Diaspora
The involvement of the Jewish Brigade, the Haganah, and other organizations in migration efforts
British immigration restrictions and “illegal” immigration to Mandatory Palestine
The relationship between the survivors, leaders of the movement, and the leadership of the Yishuv
The role of the JDC and other aid/humanitarian organizations
The Bricha movement and its impact on Israeli society
Comparative perspectives on refugee movements and forced migration
Documentation projects and archival collections relating to the Bricha and its representation in film and literature
The role of the Allied military authorities
Local populations and interactions with non-Jewish communities
The Bricha in oral history and survivor testimony
Material culture of displacement
Submission Guidelines
Researchers in history, Jewish studies, Holocaust studies, migration studies, political science, sociology, anthropology, and related disciplines are invited to submit proposals. We especially encourage early-career researchers to apply.
Submissions should include:
A title
An abstract of 250–300 words
A short biographical note (100 words)
A short CV (no more than 5 pages)
Please send applications to: zborowski.center@yadvashem.org.il
All application materials must be received by January 30, 2027. Applications not completed by this date will not be considered.
Applicants will be notified by March 1st, 2027 if their proposals are to be included in the program.
The organizers will cover the cost of economy class flights and ground transportation to and from the workshop, accommodation for the workshop’s duration, and meals during the workshop. There will be one group dinner and one dinner at the participants’ own expense. Participants must obtain their own health insurance and visas, if relevant.
This workshop is made possible in part with support from The Blum Family Foundation and through the generous support of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany
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