The Jewish Vocational School Masada ('Die Jüdische Berufsfachschule Masada) in Darmstadt was established and run by Samuel Milek Battalion between 1947 and 1948. The school trained and prepared about 45-60 young Holocaust survivors for the purpose of building a kibbutz in Israel. Although the school only existed for ten months, it nevertheless represents an important aspect of the post-war history of Hesse and a manifestation of the re-emergence and establishment of Jewish life in post-war Germany.
Background
The Masada Jewish Vocational School was run by Samuel Milek Batalion between 1947 and 1948. The aim of the school was to give young Holocaust survivors an education, a new will to live and to prepare themselves for a possible life in Israel. The school trained about 45 to 60 students, but was gradually closed after the establishment of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. Most of the students immigrated to Israel and were recruited into the new established Israel Defense Forces. Although the school only existed for ten months, it was an important in the history of Hesse and a manifestation of the re-emergence and establishment of Jewish life in post-war Germany.
The school was named after the archaeological site of Masada near the Dead Sea. The Masada school was a vocational school affiliated with the Betar movement, a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 with the aim to establish a Jewish state on both sides of the Jordan. The school was founded and supervised by Samuel Milek Batalion. Almost all the schools for Displaced Persons (DPs) known after the war were located in the DP camps and were created and supported by ORT. Thus it was unusual for someone to run a school by himself.
In 1946, Samuel Batalion met Moshe Mordchelewitz in Eschwege at a Betar meeting. Moshe was also very active in the Betar movement. On Moshe's advice, Batalion presented his idea to open a vocational school to the Betar head office in Munich. They approved it, and Battalion received permission to transfer Moshe to Darmstadt to be the madrich, the youth leader, in the new school. The school was partially financed by the Betar Central Committee in Munich and the local American Military Government. Furthermore, the regional German Government and the City of Darmstadt also supported the establishment of the school. Some of the teachers were locally recruited with the help of the local school authorities. JOINT also supported some of the students. Samuel Batalion was very committed to the project. He established locations and organised the lodgings and provisions, teaching staff, financing and equipping of the school. The school was closed several months after the establishment of the State of Israel, since most of the students had been emigrated to Israel. Ludwig Bergsträsser, a German politician and historian who was also present at the inauguration, mentioned the forthcoming closing of the school in his diary on June 18, 1948.
The School
The Masada school was a Betar School. This particular Betar school was founded and supervised by Samuel Milek Battalion. This was quite unusual, because almost all the schools for Displaced Persons (DPs) known after the war were created and supported by ORT with no idealistic or political affiliation.
In 1946, Samuel Battalion met Moshe Mordchelewitz in Eschwege at a Betar conference. Moshe was very active in the Betar movement. Battalion told Moshe about his idea to open a vocational school. On Moshe's advice, he presented his idea to the Betar head office in Munich. They approved it, and Battalion received permission to transfer Moshe to Darmstadt to be the Madrich in the new school. The school was financed with the assistance of the Betar Central Committee in Munich. The local American Military Government gave some minor support. The local school authorities provided professional teachers. The Jewish community and JOINT supported some of the students. Samuel Battalion was very committed to the project. He established locations and organised the lodgings and provisions, teaching staff, financing and equipping of the school. On May 4, 1949, the Betar Central Committee decided to close Betar Germany after most of the students emigrated to Israel.