Saul Sorrin

These people were survivors, and it took a good deal to survive.

— Saul Sorrin

Biography

Saul Sorrin was an American witness to the Holocaust. He aided survivors at displaced persons camps in Germany as an administrator from 1945 to 1950. Saul was born on July 6, 1919, in New York City, where he attended the City College of New York.

In 1940, he applied for a position with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). At the end of 1945, Saul was sent to Neu Freimann Siedlung, a displaced persons camp near Munich, Germany, to help Holocaust survivors. In 1946, he hosted General Dwight D. Eisenhower on an inspection tour of Neu Freimann. At Eisenhower's recommendation, Saul was appointed permanent area director at the Wolf-Ratshausen camp in Bad Kissingen. He served there until March 1950.

Saul became deeply committed to the survivors he was helping. He ignored many illegal actions, violated countless rules and regulations, and helped refugees alter their documents to sidestep a variety of restrictions. Saul also aided those who wanted to immigrate illegally to countries with quotas. He even permitted refugees to hold secret military training for the newly formed state of Israel.

Saul helped set up cultural institutions in the displaced persons camps he supervised. He began schools and synagogues and organized sporting events and entertainment. He was also able to bring in famous performers.

After the war, Saul returned to the U.S. He married, settled in Milwaukee, and became executive director of the Milwaukee Jewish Council. Saul died in 1995.

Pictures

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WHI 57881

WHI 57496

WHI 57625