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Jewish displaced persons in the Leipheim DP camp

Leipheim Displaced Persons Camp

For the Jews who survived the Holocaust, the end of World War II brought new challenges. Many could not or would not return to their former homelands, and options for legal immigration were limited. In spite of these difficulties, these Jewish survivors sought to rebuild their shattered lives by creating flourishing communities in displaced persons camps in Germany, Austria, and Italy. In an unparalleled six-year period between 1945 and 1951, European Jewish life was reborn in camps such as Leipheim. 
Major camps for Jewish displaced persons, 1945-1946
Major camps for Jewish displaced persons, 1945-1946

Following World War II, several hundred thousand Jewish survivors remained in camps for displaced persons. The Allies established such camps in Allied-occupied Germany, Austria, and Italy for refugees waiting to leave Europe. Most Jewish DPs preferred to emigrate to Palestine but many also sought entry into the United States. They decided to remain in the DP camps until they could leave Europe. At the end of 1946 the number of Jewish DPs was estimated at 250,000, of whom 185,000 were in Germany, 45,000 in Austria, and 20,000 in Italy. Most of the Jewish DPs were refugees from Poland, many of whom had fled the Germans into the interior of the Soviet Union during the war. Other Jewish DPs came from Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

  • US Holocaust Memorial Museum

Leipheim was a displaced persons (DP) camp in the Munich district, in the American-occupied zone. The camp opened in December 1945 on the site of a former airfield.

The camp kept a Talmud Torah (religious elementary school), a mikvah (Jewish ritual bath), and a yeshiva (religious academy). Camp residents circulated the newspaper A Heim (A Home), and they even built a swimming pool.

In May 1946, the Jewish population in the camp reached 3,150, but it had decreased to 1,850 by October 1948. By June 1950, Leipheim had closed.

 

Last Edited: Apr 19, 2019
Author(s): United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC

Critical Thinking Questions

  • What challenges did survivors face in the DP camps?
  • What challenges did the Allies face in establishing and supervising DP camps?
  • What responsibilities do (or should) other nations have regarding refugees from war and genocide?

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