Jewisch Refugees in Austria 1945 - 1955

The project proposed to investigate an aspect of Jewish history which exerted a decisive influence upon not only postwar Austrian history but also international politics during the postwar years. The central focus of this work was on the organization of life, the rebuilding of life and the living arrangements of Jewish refugees both inside and outside camps in the US Occupation Zone in Austria from 1945 to 1955. The transit of 250,000 - 300,000 persons through the US Occupation Zone developed into a serious and pressing problem on political, humanitarian and social levels. Particular attention was paid to an examination of the humanitarian, social, political and cultural networks available to these persons who, following the destruction of European Jewry, wished to leave the continent as quickly as possible. Evaluation of historical sources in light of the proposed investigative focus - and the integration of previous work by Thomas Albrich and Helga Embacher - yield a look at the inner life of Jewish refugees and the organization of their everyday life, such as political and cultural activities, humanitarian aid, preparation for emigration, forms of communication inside and outside the camps, conflicts and their resolution, (etc). In addition to archive documents and published sources, the research work integrated autobiographical materials: available autobiographies and interviews provided insight into how individuals acted within these networks and the function of the networks in the private sphere. The inclusion of an examination of secondary literature, published and unpublished documents, reports and biographical interviews provided an initial glimpse into a complex social structure among Jewish refugees in post-1945 Austria. Family relations and the so called "affinity groups" were more important than first supposed. The impact of Zionist ideology was a tremendous one. Independently of their individual plans for the future, the majority of the refugees turned to Zionism. They organized communal life in the camps on the basis of Zionist ideology. The establishment of a Jewish state seemed to be the only option to leave the camps in Austria, although one third of the Jewish refugees refused to go to Palestine/Israel. Most of them did not want to start life in wartime Palestine/Israel, they were afraid of loosing familiy members again after their traumatic experiences. The so called "Brichah", the illegal flight movement organized by survivors, smuggled Jews from Eastern to Central and Western Europe, and eventually to Palestine. The Zionist organizations and the refugees who demanded immediate immigration to Palestine, created pressure on the USA and Great Britain to establish a Jewish state. In the camps in the US Zone in Austria, run by the US-Army and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, supported by voluntary agencies (the most important was the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) the refugees formed a transitory society. Zionist and voluntary agencies provided education, care and vocational training. The founding of Israel in 1948 marked a change in supporting Jewish refugees; the US authorities and relief organizations decreased care and maintenance and closed down the camps. Among the agencies there was a consensus to solve the refugee problem by immediate immigration to Israel. Those who did not want to go to Israel, also medically and psychologically handicapped, elderly refugees and single mothers with children hardly received care and maintenance. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee made every effort to set up immigration programs for these people. Some of the refugees succeeded in building up new lives in Israel, the USA, Australia or Canada. And others remained in Austria for private or business reasons, and helped to rebuild the local Jewish communities.