Soldiers they discovered piles of corpses, bones, and human ashes—testimony to Nazi mass murder, but they also found thousands of survivors. Some of the survivors wanted to die, though. The survivors in the concentration camps were barely alive. The prisoners suffered from starvation and disease – and many thousands died in the first months after the liberation. In many cases the surviving Jews refused to return to their homes – or their homes had simply ceased to exist. Also, they were scared to return. Those Jews went westward to European territories that was liberated by allies. There, they were housed in hundreds of refugee centers and displaced persons (DP) camps such as Bergen-Belsen in Germany. The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and the occupying armies of the United States, Great Britain, and France administered these camps.
In December 1945, President Harry Truman issued a directive that loosened quota restrictions on immigration to the US of persons displaced by the Nazi regime. Due to this, more than 41,000 displaced persons immigrated to the United States; approximately 28,000 were Jews. In 1948, the US Congress passed the Displaced Persons Act, which provided approximately 400,000 US immigration visas for displaced persons between January 1, 1949, where 68,000 were Jews.
In December 1945, President Harry Truman issued a directive that loosened quota restrictions on immigration to the US of persons displaced by the Nazi regime. Due to this, more than 41,000 displaced persons immigrated to the United States; approximately 28,000 were Jews. In 1948, the US Congress passed the Displaced Persons Act, which provided approximately 400,000 US immigration visas for displaced persons between January 1, 1949, where 68,000 were Jews.