Assembly and detention camp for French Jews, located in a northeastern suburb of Paris. From Drancy, Jews were sent to Forced Labor and Extermination Camps. The camp was established in August 1941 and liberated in August 1944. It could hold 4,500 inmates at a time; altogether, about 70,000 prisoners passed through.
Drancy was run like a Nazi Concentration Camp, but until July 1, 1943, it was managed by the French (under the supervision of the German Security Police and Security Service). Food rations were small, but the prisoners were aided by the Red Cross and French Jewish organizations. On July 2 Alois Brunner, an SS officer, took over the camp. Under his charge, the inmates' conditions declined rapidly and Deportations to Auschwitz increased. From June 1942 to July 1944, 64 transports with 61,000 French, Polish, and German Jews left Drancy---61 for Auschwitz and three for Sobibor.
In spite of the terrible conditions at Drancy, cultural and religious life endured. The Jewish High Holidays were observed in a synagogue that was established in 1941, and many prisoners attended Sabbath services regularly despite German prohibitions. A school was instituted, books were brought into the camp, and cultural evenings were conducted.
Drancy was liberated on August 17, 1944, after the Allies reached Paris.
