Holocaust Child Survivors in Sweden : Organisation and Policies for Rehabilitation of Jewish Child Survivors in Sweden, 1945-1949

Abstract: This Master thesis is a historical case study of the rehabilitation process of Jewish children who came to Sweden at the end of the Second World War and shortly afterwards. Using a contextual approach, this thesis addresses a lacuna in Holocaust research about rehabilitation of child survivors in the context of refugee aid provided by Sweden after the Second World War. The work analyses different types of primary sources, taken from different archives. The group to be studied includes children aged 0-16 years. The focus of the analysis is on the motives and goals of organisations concerning the education and rehabilitation of child survivors. This is done by applying organisational theory. The main actors considered at the national level are the Swedish authority, the Statens Utlänningskommission (State Commission for Foreigners, SUK), and the local Jewish communities, in particular the Jewish Community of Stockholm (MFST). The paper fills an empirical gap in providing a statistic of all surviving children registered with the SUK, which was previously not available. An assessment of the rehabilitation efforts on the surviving children is analysed on an individual level. The thesis concludes that the children to different degrees, varying on the form of accommodation and education were placed in different institutions based on age and, at the beginning, nationality and that the focus was on strengthening of Jewish identity, preparation for emigration, and integration into society. This was approved by the SUK and directed and supervised by the established Rabbi Council.