At the beginning of last year, I had the privilege of taking part in the Trust’s Belsen 75 Project, hearing from a Holocaust survivor and attending a one-day visit to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The visit to Bergen-Belsen is one I shall never forget. I witnessed what hatred and intolerance can lead to, and why the work the Trust does, and the work that we do as Ambassadors, is so important. When I returned, I was keen to learn more about the camp and decided to undertake some research to find out what life was like for the survivors of Bergen-Belsen, post-liberation.
Photographs by Yakir Zur - Sign marking Bergen-Belsen
The former entrance to the camp
“I witnessed what hatred and intolerance can lead to, and why the work the Trust does, and the work that we do as Ambassadors, is so important.”
On the 15th April 1945, Bergen Belsen concentration camp was liberated by British forces. The survivors who had just been through unimaginable horrors now faced the prospect of rebuilding their lives, and for a large number of them, finding a new place to call home. Around 10,000 -12,000 Jewish survivors of the Holocaust remained in Belsen as displaced persons (DPs). The former German army barracks were taken over by the British forces after the war, with some of the barracks being given to the Displaced Persons Camp. I visited a section of the DP camp which has remained in the same condition since 1945, as part of my visit to Belsen.
Life was difficult for survivors in the DP camp. They lived in a setting with rules and regulations - some described their existence as being “liberated but not free” - and not knowing what their immediate future could possibly hold. Survivors spent their time here processing their trauma, hoping to find family members who had also survived, and grieving for the family and friends they had lost.
Barracks in Bergen-Belsen that housed part of the DP camp in 1945
Picture by Arnold Plesse: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license
Living necessities such as food were not at an adequate level. However, it also became an incredible and inspirational Jewish community. Just a few days after the liberation took place, a Jewish committee of survivors was elected to represent the camp community. They worked incredibly hard to achieve a thriving cultural and educational system within the camp and to give the survivors a platform for the future and life beyond the camp.
Overcoming issues such as a lack of resources and facilities, a cultural life was soon established in the DP camp; within just months of liberation this included a school and newspapers. By the next year this had expanded to include entertainment, sport clubs and educational facilities. Despite everything that the survivors had been through, they had the strength and determination to ensure the Jewish community in Belsen became one of hope and encouragement to everyone who lived there. Alongside the thriving cultural network which had now been established many marriages also occurred in the months after liberation, with 2,000 children being born by the end of 1947. The survivors were rebuilding their lives and their community. Learning about this on my visit inspired me to share their stories.
A group reading about the activities of the DP camp during the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Belsen 75 Project
Photo by Yakir Zur
There was also an active political society, engaging with the British forces on issues within the camp, and on the emigration of survivors from the DP camp to other countries (countries they could emigrate to were initially very restricted). Many survivors of Bergen Belsen ended up emigrating to Israel after its establishment in 1948, with some also going to the United States and elsewhere in Europe.
“My visit to Bergen Belsen taught me just how important it is for us to challenge antisemitism and fight against it, and the consequences of letting hatred go unchecked.”
It is hard to find the words to explain just how significant and important a role the community at Bergen Belsen Displaced Persons Camp played in post-war Jewish life. It was a place of challenges and difficulties, but it ultimately represented hope and courage - a beacon of light in Europe for the Jewish communities who had suffered so much. My visit to Bergen Belsen taught me just how important it is for us to challenge antisemitism and fight against it, and the consequences of letting hatred go unchecked. However, it also taught me about the incredible individuals and community of the DP camp and how we as Ambassadors must continue to share our knowledge with our friends, families and communities.
Research from:
Yad Vashem
"A community of survivors: Bergen Belsen as a Jewish Centre after 1945”- Hagit Lavsky.