Feldafing, a small town on Starnberger Lake, became the site of a significant displaced persons (DP) camp after World War II. The camp was established in barracks once used for Hitler Youth schools, initially housing survivors of the Dachau death march. In the early days, life for these survivors primarily consisted of sleeping and eating as they recovered from their ordeal.
As the camp population grew, it became a melting pot of nationalities and experiences. The camp was under American control, with a notable American captain who scoured nearby towns to procure food and clothing for the DPs. The population expanded rapidly as DPs from all over Bavaria flocked to Feldafing.
Educational, cultural and religious life flourished in Feldafing. In addition to Feldafing's secular primary and secondary school system, education and training for adults was provided by an evening school, a vocational school run by the Organisation for Rehabilitation through Training (ORT), and a nursing school. Chana Warszawksa, who was a singer and actress, survived Lodz ghetto, Auschwitz and a labour camp in Berensdorf before arriving in Feldafing. Here she took a job teaching corset-making at the ORT school and also met and married her husband, Leybl Fingerhut.
