Case closed : Holocaust survivors in postwar America / Beth B. Cohen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cohen, Beth B., 1950-

Contributor:

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jews--United States--History--20th century.

Jews.

Holocaust survivors--United States--History--20th century.

Holocaust survivors.

Jews, European--United States--History--20th century.

Jews, European.

Jewish refugees--United States--History--20th century.

Jewish refugees.

Immigrants--United States--History--20th century.

Immigrants.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (244 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, c2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Following the end of World War II, it was widely reported by the media that Jewish refugees found lives filled with opportunity and happiness in America. However, for most of the 140,000 Jewish Displaced Persons (DPs) who immigrated to the United States from Europe in the years between 1946 and 1954, it was a much more complicated story. Case Closed challenges the prevailing optimistic perception of the lives of Holocaust survivors in postwar America by scrutinizing their first years through the eyes of those who lived it. The facts brought forth in this book are supported by case files recorded by Jewish social service workers, letters and minutes from agency meetings, oral testimonies, and much more. Cohen explores how the Truman Directive allowed the American Jewish community to handle the financial and legal responsibility for survivors, and shows what assistance the community offered the refugees and what help was not available. She investigates the particularly difficult issues that orphan children and Orthodox Jews faced, and examines the subtleties of the resettlement process in New York and other locales. Cohen uncovers the truth of survivors' early years in America and reveals the complexity of their lives as "New Americans."

Contents:

What to do with the DPs? : the new Jewish question

Welcome to America! : the newcomers arrive

Case closed : from agency support to self-sufficiency

"Bearded refugees" : the reception of religious newcomers

"Unaccompanied minors" : the story of the displaced orphans

The bumpy road : public perception and the reality of survival

The helping process : mental health professionals' postwar response to survivors

The myth of silence : a different story.

Notes:

"Published in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum".

Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-211) and index.

ISBN:

1-281-24422-8

9786611244224

0-8135-4130-1

OCLC:

476107173