Welfare workers volunteering with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) delivered crucial legal assistance to Holocaust survivors gathered in the American zone of occupied Germany.The JDC was at the forefront of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, and this aspect of its work represents a forgotten milestone in the development of a more holistic approach to refugee assistance and support. This study is a starting point for further research in order to better understand humanitarian aid for asylum seekers, DPs and refugees in the 21st century