The survivors who remained in Germany after liberation, together with the tens of thousands who were drawn to the American Zone of Occupation over the next two years, sought to escape the hostility of their neighbors, the fear of being trapped behind sealed borders and ever-present reminders of the past. In Occupied Germany, the US Army and UNRRA afforded protection and the provision of basic needs, She'erith Hapleitah offered community and care while both the Jewish Agency and JDC could serve as potential bridges to the future. In their first months on German soil the survivors were persuaded that deliverance could not be long in coming – surely, given what they had been through, the enlightened world would recognize their elementary right to start anew in a land of their own. Labour's adherence to the White Paper policy was a rude shock but hopes soared again when the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry recommended allowing 100,000 survivors to enter Palestine forthwith. With the understanding that nothing was going to change just yet, the pendulum swung again and deep disappointment set in. They were stuck in Germany with no way out.

The people of She'erith Hapleitah were keenly aware of the bitter irony of their situation, of being forced to prolong their stay in the heartland of Hitler's Germany. When this was seen as a temporary measure and Germany as nothing more than a way station, the bitterness and anger could be kept in check.