The Return of the Föhrenwalders
More than 1,000 people gather to remember together in Wolfratshausen-Waldram
Together we remember. Together we make a statement.
More than 1.000 visitors
Around 40 contemporary witnesses
More than 650 Memory Walk participants
Nearly 200 biographical panels
About 120 students
More than 1.200 volunteer hours
80 Years of the Föhrenwald Jewish DP Camp
80 years after the founding of the former Jewish Displaced Persons (DP) camp Föhrenwald, the BADEHAUS Memorial Site welcomed more than 1,000 guests from October 17 to 20, 2025, in today’s Wolfratshausen district of Waldram, including around 40 contemporary witnesses from Israel, the USA, and across Germany.
Many brought their children and grandchildren to the four-day event to show where their family history continued after the Holocaust. For some, returning was not an easy step—making the first reunion on Friday all the more moving.
Saturday, October 18, 2025: Major Event with Memory Walk
“You called it the march of ‘The Returning Föhrenwalders.’ I call it the march of triumph!” – With these words, contemporary witness Shoshana Bellen described the commemorative procession through the former DP camp on Saturday. She had traveled from Israel to revisit the place where her parents made a new start after the Holocaust—in the “last Yiddish shtetl on European soil” (Prof. Michael Brenner), which existed until 1957.
According to police reports, more than 650 people participated in this unique Memory Walk through the former Föhrenwald camp (today Waldram). Around 200 biography panels commemorated the lives of former camp residents. These panels were carried by more than 120 students from Bad Tölz, Geretsried, Icking, Schäftlarn, and Wolfratshausen, as well as numerous volunteers from Waldram and the surrounding region.
With staged readings by the “young Badehäusler,” the stories of the contemporary witnesses came alive.“The Return of the Föhrenwalders shows that memory can connect people—beyond ideologies, nations, religions, and generations,” emphasized Dr. Sybille Krafft, Chair of the BADEHAUS Memorial Site.
Film: Impressions from the Memory Walk through the former Föhrenwald
Sunday, October 19, 2025: Festive Ceremony in the St. Matthias Hall
The following day, Sunday, representatives from religion, politics, and society came together for the official ceremony: Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Regional Bishop Thomas Prieto Peral, State Minister Anna Stolz, Israel’s Consul General Talya Lador-Fresher, Anti-Semitism Commissioner Dr. Ludwig Spaenle, as well as numerous members of the Bundestag and state parliaments, mayors, and city and municipal council members.
The program featured musical contributions from students of Waldram Elementary School and pianist Sandra Shapiro. The pianist, who traveled from Ohio (USA) for the event, also honored her father, Dr. David Shapiro, the former camp doctor in Föhrenwald, through her performance.
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- (From left to right) Israeli Consul General Talya Lador-Fresher, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Chairwoman Dr. Sybille Krafft, and the Bavarian Commissioner for Antisemitism Dr. Ludwig Spaenle.
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- Sandra Shapiro at the piano
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- From left to right: Israeli Consul General Talya Lador-Fresher (in the blue blazer), Dr. Rachel Salamander, State Minister Anna Stolz, and Chairwoman Dr. Sybille Krafft.
Contemporary witnesses also spoke at the ceremony. Dr. Rachel Salamander, who lived in Föhrenwald from 1951 to 1956, expressed her appreciation for the civic remembrance project: “Thanks to the tireless energy of Sybille Krafft and her team, the establishment of the BADEHAUS has created a Föhrenwald site that seeks to reconstruct and preserve the DP history. For that, one must be infinitely grateful.”
Shai Lachman, Chair of the Israeli Föhrenwalders, also emphasized: He has “no words to express his deep gratitude and appreciation for all the actions and achievements of the BADEHAUS.” All speakers particularly praised the extraordinary volunteer commitment of the BADEHAUS team, which made these moving days of remembrance possible through their dedication.
Monday, October 20, 2025: Academic Closing Ceremony
On Monday, the scientific conclusion followed: the first BADEHAUS Colloquium.
Dr. Kierra Crago-Schneider (from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, right), Rhiannon Moutafis, M.A. (research associate at the BADEHAUS Memorial Site, left), and Dr. Sima Velkovich (International Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, middle) presented their research findings on the Jewish DP camp Föhrenwald to an interested audience. With this symposium, the BADEHAUS Memorial Site established itself as a nationwide center of expertise for Jewish DP history.
Over the weekend, the BADEHAUS also received numerous new items and photos from the contemporary witnesses—valuable memories that will be preserved for future generations and made accessible to the public at the memorial site.
Under the title “History Meets the Present,” a free light show was visible every evening on the museum roof until November 23. The installation was created by Leo and Alfred Fraas in collaboration with the team of the BADEHAUS. For the first time, the projection displayed historical color photographs from the Jewish DP Camp Föhrenwald in a public space — a project that attracted widespread attention.
Words of gratitude
Letter from Dani Dayan, Chairman of Yad Vashem – the International Holocaust Remembrance Center
Letter from Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany
Letter from Moshe S. Roth – Member of the Knesset, representing the United Torah Judaism party
Media coverage
Digital Print Media
Please note: The following press coverage is available only in German, while the titles and teaser texts have been translated into English for reference.
July 19, 2025 – Föhrenwald: Symbol of Hope and Rebirth (Peter Bierl)
From DP Camp to Memorial Site: 80 Years of a Turbulent History – sueddeutsche.de/sonderthemen/zwischen-tegernsee-isar-und-loisach
October 1, 2025 – Born in the ‘Waiting Room’: Fiszel Ajnwojner Remembers Life in the Föhrenwald DP Camp (Leticia Witte)
After the Hamas terror attack on Israel, the head of the Westend Synagogue in Frankfurt speaks about antisemitism.
Fiszel Ajnwojner was born in the Föhrenwald DP Camp. – merkur.de/Lokales/Geretsried-Wolfratshausen/Wolfratshausen
October 9, 2025 – Rachel Salamander Remembers Her Childhood in the Föhrenwald DP Camp (Tanja Lühr)
On October 19, the literary scholar returns as a survivor to the site of her childhood for the 80th anniversary of the camp’s founding. In an interview with our newspaper, she talks about formative memories. – merkur.de/lokales/wolfratshausen
October 12, 2025 – ‘We Children Were Strong, We Just Wanted to Live and Flourish’ (Susanne Schröder)
Föhrenwald was the last remaining camp for Jewish ‘Displaced Persons’ (DP) and the last ‘shtetl’ on European soil. – evangelische-zeitung.de
October 12, 2025 – A ‘Shtetl’ for Homeless Holocaust Survivors (Susanne Schröder)
When around 40 survivors take part in the commemorative procession for the 80th anniversary of the Föhrenwald DP Camp through Waldram on Saturday, October 18, history condenses into just a few streets. – evangelische-zeitung.de
October 13, 2025 – Meeting of Contemporary Witnesses at the Badehaus Memorial (Susanne Schröder)
On Saturday, October 18, the Föhrenwald camp celebrates its 80th anniversary. Around 40 former residents, including 81-year-old doctor Beno Salamander, share stories of their time in the Jewish DP camp and recall a community full of resilience and hope. – sonntagsblatt.de
October 14, 2025 – Opportunity for a ‘Bridge-Building’: Survivors Return to Föhrenwald for the 80th Anniversary (Carl-Christian Eick)
On October 18, a public commemorative procession takes place in Waldram, presenting the biographies of former residents of the Föhrenwald DP Camp, which celebrates its 80th anniversary. – merkur.de/lokales/wolfratshausen
October 14, 2025 – Childhood in the Föhrenwald DP Camp: Memories of a Holocaust Survivor (Susanne Schröder)
Beno Salamander, Holocaust survivor, recalls his childhood in the last Jewish DP Camp Föhrenwald – between play, friendship, and the hope for a new life. – www.sonntagsblatt.de
October 16, 2025 – ‘We Grew Up with Clear Feelings: Outside Were the Enemies and the Americans the Saviors’ (Felicitas Amler)
Rachel Salamander spent her childhood in the Föhrenwald camp for Jewish Displaced Persons. She recalls what it was like to grow up among people who had witnessed the deepest horrors, in a place where no resident would have lived of their own free will. – sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/wolfratshausen
October 17, 2025 – ‘Like a Big Village Community’: Survivor Remembers Childhood in the Föhrenwald DP Camp (Susanne Schröder)
On the 80th anniversary of the Föhrenwald DP Camp, former residents gather to remember the time as a village community and to reflect on Föhrenwald. – merkur.de/lokales/wolfratshausen
October 19, 2025 – ‘Perhaps the Last Opportunity’: Jewish Survivors Return to the Former Föhrenwald Camp (Tanja Lühr)
Around 40 Jewish survivors and 650 visitors commemorated Europe’s largest Jewish DP camp and its residents over the weekend with a commemorative procession. – merkur.de/lokales/wolfratshausen
October 20, 2025 – Wolfratshausen: 80 Years of Föhrenwald – Survivors Remember the ‘DP Camp
A commemorative ceremony in Wolfratshausen over the weekend marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Föhrenwald DP Camp. DP stands for so-called ‘Displaced Persons.’ Thousands of Holocaust survivors found a safe haven in what is today Waldram after World War II. – radio-oberland.de
October 20, 2025 – Föhrenwald: A Place of Rebirth for Jewish Life (Thies Marsen, Andrea Neumeier, Eckhart Querner)
In Wolfratshausen, these days, the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Föhrenwald Displaced Persons Camp is being commemorated. After World War II, thousands of Holocaust survivors were housed there – some until 1957. – br.de/nachrichten/kultur
October 20, 2025 – 80 Years of the Jewish DP Camp Föhrenwald – Waiting Room to a New Life (Klaus Schieder)
After the Holocaust, Jewish survivors found temporary refuge in what is today Waldram. With a commemorative procession and a ceremony, the association ‘Erinnerungsort Badehaus’ recently recalled this chapter of postwar history. Survivors from Israel, the USA, and across Germany also traveled to attend. – sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/wolfratshausen
October 20, 2025 – Minister of Culture Promises Financial Support for the Memorial Site in Upper Bavaria (Carl-Christian Eick)
At the ceremony ‘80 Years of Föhrenwald,’ Bavaria’s Minister of Culture, Anna Stolz, announced that the Badehaus Association can expect institutional funding starting in 2026. – merkur.de/lokales/wolfratshausen
October 21, 2025 – For the 80th Anniversary: Survivors Visit the Former Föhrenwald DP Camp in Wolfratshausen (Helmut Hacker)
With a large commemorative event, the association ‘Citizens for the BADEHAUS Waldram-Föhrenwald’ in Wolfratshausen honored the DP camp operated by the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1957. More than 650 visitors and around 40 survivors attended. – merkur.de/lokales/wolfratshausen/dasgelbeblatt // dasgelbeblatt.de/lokales/bad-toelz-wolfratshausen
October 22, 2025 – 80 Years of the Föhrenwald Camp (St. Matthias)
The association ‘Citizens for the Badehaus’ dedicated an entire weekend to the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Föhrenwald camp. The ‘Camp for Displaced Persons’ was established south of Wolfratshausen after the war for Jews who had survived the Holocaust. – sankt-matthias.de
October 22, 2025 – Wolfratshausen: The Return of the Föhrenwalders (Hans-Herbert Holzamer)
The visitors from Israel arrived, as they said, without resentment and as friends at this place, which became a home for all those who, right after World War II, had no place on earth — the title of a 1953 film, excerpts of which were shown. – reise-stories.de
November 16, 2025 – “History Meets the Present": Moving Light Show Commemorates the DP Camp Föhrenwald
With previously unpublished photos and films, a new light installation at the Badehaus brings the history of the Föhrenwald DP camp to life. The Fraas family from Wolfratshausen has digitally processed the material and projects it onto the roof every evening. – merkur.de/lokales/wolfratshausen
Broadcasting
October 19, 2025 – Commemorative Project: ‘The Return of the Föhrenwalders’ (Alf Meier)
The Waldram district of Wolfratshausen was once called Föhrenwald, and after the war, Jewish survivors and orphaned children found shelter there. Today, 80 years later, a commemorative ceremony remembered the place and its history. – ardmediathek.de/video/br24
October 20, 2025 – Displaced Persons: Memories of the Föhrenwald Refugee Camp
In Wolfratshausen, the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Föhrenwald Displaced Persons Camp is being commemorated. After World War II, thousands of Holocaust survivors were housed there until 1957. Some have now returned to this historic site… – ardmediathek.de/video/abendschau-der-sueden
October 24, 2025 – Shalom: 80 Years of the Föhrenwald DP Camp (Thies Marsen, Michael Strassmann)
Over the weekend, the Jewish DP Camp Föhrenwald (today Waldram) near Wolfratshausen in Upper Bavaria was commemorated. A commemorative procession took place on Saturday, followed by a ceremony on Sunday. Many former Föhrenwald residents had traveled from Israel and the USA to attend. – br podcast/bayern2/schalom
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