ABSTRACT
As the post-Shoah period is still part of the Shoah, children’s encounter with the anti-Semitism of a hostile local population shaped the understanding of the self and produced an identity oriented to, on the one hand, a new meaning of living entre mozotros and, on the other hand, a determination to fight for recognition. Chapter 7 explores postwar reconstruction of Jewish communities in Greece and the rehabilitation of Jewish children through the study of international and community organisations that dealt with the catastrophic consequences of the Holocaust on the bodies and mental lives of children. Furthermore, it addresses the issue of the transformation of Jewish identity, which was shaped by anti-Semitism during and after the war, by paying attention to the institutions that promoted policies that strengthened bonds among children. The scars of the recent past and their encounter with hate speech and violence, which were pervasive in their everyday lives, could only be healed by a strengthening of bonds. The institutions played an important role in fomenting relations among Jewish children and promoting a positive identity. For the recipients of welfare who were children, it meant the creation of a new identity that was not anchored in fear and stigma but on a shared life created through friendship, protection, joy and love.
