Jewish Vocational School Masada

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Masada Jewish Vocational School in Darmstadt was a short-lived but important post-war project. From 1947 to 1948, Samuel Milek Batalion ran the school, which trained about 45–60 young Holocaust survivors to prepare for a life in Israel, especially to help build a kibbutz.

The school lasted only ten months, but it marked an important moment in the re-emergence of Jewish life in Hesse and post-war Germany. It was a Betar-affiliated vocational school, which was unusual because most Displaced Persons schools after the war were run by ORT and had no political ties. The idea came after Batalion met Moshe Mordchelewitz at a Betar event in 1946. With Moshe’s help, Betar Munich approved the project, and Batalion arranged for Moshe to serve as madrich (youth leader) in Darmstadt.

Funding came from several sources: the Betar Central Committee in Munich, with some support from the American Military Government; the regional German government and the City of Darmstadt; and local teachers and JOINT supported some students.

The Masada school was located in the former Main-Neckar train station building at Steubenplatz in central Darmstadt. Students lived in nearby boarding quarters at Bismarckstr. 59 and Grafenstr. 9, about a 20-minute walk from the school. The building and facilities were basic, and the initiators had to renovate much of the space themselves.

Open to students on September 13, 1947, the official opening ceremony took place on December 9, 1947. The school offered ten hours of daily classes, focusing on trades like locksmithing, metalworking, carpentry and electrical installation, plus courses in technical drawing, measurement and control technology. The curriculum also included Hebrew, Jewish philosophy and the basics of Betar and Zionist ideology.

Students came from Holocaust survivor camps in the American Zone, such as Babenhausen, Dieburg, Rochelle Eschenstruth, Gabersee, and Weilheim. They spoke a mix of languages, with Yiddish and German most common, along with Polish, Romanian and others. Most wanted to emigrate to Palestine/Israel.

In July 1948, 19 students left for Palestine. After the State of Israel was declared on May 14, 1948, many students joined the newly formed Israel Defense Forces. The Masada school gradually closed as students emigrated; Betar Germany itself was dissolved in 1949.

Samuel Milek Batalion, born in 1918 in Stryj, founded and directed Masada. His background included Betar activity, survival through hardships, and work with UNRRA and DP camps before moving to Darmstadt. Moshe Mordchelewitz, the madrich, was born in 1920 in Kaunas and brought his Betar experience to Darmstadt; he later left for Palestine in 1948, fought in the early IDF, and died in 2011.

In later years, Lea Dror-Batalion researched her father and the Masada School, resulting in an exhibition about Masada. The show was produced in Darmstadt with the help of local schools and institutions and has been displayed in several German and Israeli venues.