Building from Ashes: Jews in Postwar Europe (1945–1950)

In the immediate postwar years, Europe was tormented by the aftermath of massive war crimes that had caused millions of refugees, hunger, civil wars and excesses of violence. In the midst of this »savage continent« Jews found themselves in different situations with varied wartime experiences: some had survived the ghettos and concentration camps, some were refugees returning from various countries or from their hiding places to a place that felt secure, others entered central Europe as part of the Allied Military Forces. In the midst of ruins, poverty and destruction Jews became Displaced Persons that were organizing their survival as well as their emigration with the help of diverse military and social organizations. At the same time, Jews were building up new communities and in many forms and places revitalizing Jewish traditions in Europe.
The International Conference will examine the situation of Jews in the years of 1945–1950 in a comprehensive European perspective.